Educating Mr Motomiya
by Seinaru Kibou no Tenshi
Summary: *CH 15* When Takeru and Hikari find themselves on the same team as Daisuke for the Brainbuster Challenge, they make a plan to educate him.
1. Chapter 1

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*Note: This story does not contain Daisuke bashing. As funny as it may be at times, I'm too fond of the Dai to be happy with writing it.I'm not writing him to be a jerk. It does have the sort of comments that might be made about him by other characters, though, but they are done in an affectionate spirit. Really. Oh, and the story is more Takeru\Hikari friendship than Takari.*

EDUCATING MR MOTOMIYA - PART 1 

"And that's how you find y given x and an equation," Mr Hamasaki dusted his hands off on his trousers before turning from the board to face his class. As usual, most of them were staring at him with their usual looks of blank incomprehension, eyes glazed and mouths slightly open. One or two were desperately jotting down a few, final notes; others looked as if they were playing games under the cover of their desks; still others were having whispered, giggly conversations with their friends. _According to the principal,_ he thought sardonically, _these were Odaiba's best and brightest. These were the people who were going to represent their school in the intellectual arena. Riiight. _

He paused, taking his seat and surveying the class, "Onto other things, how many of you have heard of the Brainbuster Challenge that takes place at TTN every year?" For a wonder, most of the children sat up straighter in their seats and raised their hands. A low, excited buzz went around the classroom, "Well, for the benefit of those who haven't, it's a quiz show hosted by TTN where groups of students answer general knowledge questions and compete for money for their school. Your principal has asked me to select a team of three people from your class to go on the contest. Do I have any volunteers or shall I have to pick you?" 

"I'll do it," a girl's voice came from the middle of the classroom. He did not need to look to see who it was. It could only be Yagami Hikari. He recognised her voice from a hundred, murmured interruptions during his lessons that year. 

"Thank you, Hikari. Who else?" 

Unsurprisingly, the blond boy, with whom she shared a desk, also raised his hand. 

"And thank you, Takeru." 

Naturally, there had to be a Ishida to go with a Yagami, even if this one was officially a Takaishi by Mr Hamasaki's register. It seemed that you couldn't have one without the other. It also seemed that the combination was trouble. The two friends spent more time talking and laughing in class than doing their work. He was constantly having to tell them to be quiet. What was even more infuriating was that they managed to be his star pupils without seeming to concentrate on a single word he said. Takeru was a gifted writer, with whose compositions Mr Hamasaki could find very little fault. He always led the class in both Japanese and English. Hikari, on the contrary, had a natural talent for maths and science. She had a quick mind when it came to numbers, and solved the assigned problems in a fraction of the time it took the remainder of the class. At which point she would inevitably begin talking to her deskmate again. 

Compared to their older brothers, however, the two were a pair of angels. Between them, Taichi and Yamato had managed to turn the school upsidedown. Their antics were still spoken of in hushed, fearful tones in the staffroom. Like the time they had 'accidently' released rats in the classroom and claimed they were unable to catch all of them, then spent the rest of the day making squeaking noises. Or the time they had wired the school's PA system to play hard rock whenever the principal had pressed the button to speak into it. Or the time they had climbed to the top of the ropes in the gym and had refused to come down because they said they were afraid of heights. 

Deciding he had better stop thinking about them before his twitch redeveloped, he turned his attention back to the task at hand: "Now, who is going to be the last member of our team?" 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Daisuke's arm shoot up in the air. Mr Hamasaki battled to suppress a sigh. He should have known that _he_ would volunteer, if Hikari was on the team. Daisuke had been hounding him for months now about switching seats with Takeru, and it was not because he could get a better view of the board from there. Still, he had ostensibly ignored him then; he would do the same now. The boy was not Brainbuster material. The kindest way that he could have described Daisuke was 'consistent'. In other words, he could always be relied upon to get the lowest mark in every test and assignment. Mr Hamasaki had had a theory that the goggles the boy wore cut off all circulation to his brain. He would have believed it too, if it were not predicated on the assumption that Daisuke had one. 

"Do we have any other volunteers?" he said desperately, looking around the classroom, "What about you, Miyako?" 

The purple-haired girl paused in cleaning her oversized glasses to look at him, "I'm sorry, but I'm supporting the other team. My boyfriend's on it." 

In a painful instant, Mr Hamasaki saw his team's chances of winning the competition disappear, and not only because Miyako's boycraziness meant that he would have to put Daisuke on the team. Her boyfriend, who had been the subject of every composition she had submitted and one very embarrassing show-and-tell, was Ichijouji Ken. And Ichijouji Ken was an acknowledged child genius, who had been the subject of more documentaries and articles than he wanted to remember. Alone, he probably knew more than Mr Hamasaki's entire class. It did not matter whom he selected his team now. They had lost before setting foot in the television studio. He looked back at Daisuke with some despair. 

"Me! Me!" the boy was bouncing up and down in his seat by now, waving his hand over his head. 

"Thank you, Daisuke," he said reluctantly, causing his student to beam happily at him and shoot a triumphant look at Takeru. Not that the other boy noticed. He was too busy whispering something to Hikari, who was laughing. Daisuke's face grew stormy, and a vein began to throb visibly in his forehead. 

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Not only were they going to lose, Mr Hamasaki thought, _but his team was probably going to kill each other in the process . . . . _

*

IN THE NEXT PART: Takeru and Hikari come up with a plan to coach Daisuke for the quiz!

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NOTES:

1) Taichi and Yamato are probably a bit out of character, but teachers always remember mischievous students as far worse than they actually were.

2) Takeru and Hikari do talk in class. In the first episode, they're chatting and laughing, while Mr Hamasaki is trying to teach. As to them being top of their class, eh . . . I need them to be for the story. It's not entirely unbelievable. 

3) This is based on an old episode of 'Family Ties'. Mallory ends up on Alex's quiz team, and he decides to coach her for it. Loved that show. Love the reruns. J 


	2. Chapter 2

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*DISCLAIMER: I vowed and declared to myself that this story would not be Takari, but the characters were stubborn and would not do what I wanted. I hate it when they take control of their own lives. It's so . . . rude to me as the author, who is meant to be controlling them. ;) So, there is a little bit snuck in here by way of implication. Characters belong to Toei. I am not making any money. I forgot to say that in part one, but I suspect you knew it anyway.*

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EDUCATING MR MOTOMIYA

PART 2

"What are we going to do about Daisuke?" Takeru asked Hikari, as he handed her another basketball to pack away in the storage closet. She took it from him with a sigh and put it on a shelf beside the other sporting equipment. This had become a Tuesday afternoon ritual for them, ever since he had been made captain of the team. His new position had come with certain responsibilities, which included tidying up the court after every practice and ensuring that the all the equipment was safely stowed away. Somehow, despite all her protestations and complaints, he had roped her into helping him. 

Secretly, however, she did not mind. Being with her best friend made it fun. Takeru made it fun. They would sometimes play a game of one-on-one, where he would run circles around her even when she insisted he could only play with one hand. Or they would bring their Digimon and try to help Tailmon catch a flying, swooping Patamon, who inevitably ended up laughing at them from the top of one of the hoops. Or they would simply sit on the bleachers and talk until the school grew quiet around them and the janitor came to chase them home. Which Takeru obviously wanted to do now about Daisuke. 

Irritation rose up in Hikari at the memory of Mr Hamasaki's despondent 'Thank you, Mr Motomiya'. She had known that he would volunteer for the team once she did, but she had not thought her teacher would actually accept him. Daisuke had a lot of good qualities - most of which she was too annoyed to remember at the moment - but one of them was not intelligence. He was the last person she would have chosen for the quiz team, and she included her brother and Mimi in that calculation! Still, she thought with some trace of her natural optimism returning, there had to be a way to help him become less stupid, if not more clever. 

"You don't suppose Kohshiroh* could invent a device or a potion to make him smarter, do you?" she said wryly, turning back to face her friend. 

Grinning, "Mom always said that eating fish made you smarter - she even wrote an article on it - but that's just an old wives' tale." 

Her eyes met his, and she knew that he was thinking the same thing that she was.

"I'm just desperate enough that I'm prepared to try anything," she stated bluntly, then paused as she remembered something, "But . . . Takeru, how are we going to get him to eat fish? Daisuke told me he hates it." 

There was nobody who could do innocence quite like her best friend, and he was giving a command performance at the moment. His eyes were very wide and very blue, his mouth was curved in an ingenuous smile, his hands were spread in front of him. When they had been younger, that same look had gotten them out of more scrapes than she cared to count. Adults had taken one glance at Takeru and had instantly gone searching for somebody else to blame for the spilled paint or the broken glass. He could have sweetlooked his way out of any trouble, and would have done so if he were not so honest. Not that his honesty was particularly apparent at the moment. When Takeru looked this guileless, she knew she had every reason to be suspicious. . . . 

"I'm sure _you _will come up something, Hikari_._" 

Her dark eyes narrowed at the slight inflection on the pronoun. He could not be serious about . . . He had to be joking about . . . She must have misheard him suggesting that . . . He was not intimating that . . . She had thought he himself . . .Well, he had been the last person from whom she had expected _this_. 

"I hope you aren't implying what I think you're implying, Takaishi Takeru." 

He nodded in silent confirmation, but kept his gaze firmly fixed on his shoes. She guessed he was too ashamed of what he had suggested to meet her eyes. He should have been, she thought grimly. He should have never even thought of it. Even if it were not real, even if it were for the good of the team, she would never consider it. There was only one answer she could give him. 

"No."

"Yes." 

"NO!" 

"YES!" 

"No! I am not going to go out with him, just to get him to eat seafood!" she folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. Her friend held up his hands in front of him, as if in surrender or to ward off a blow. She had been right about the innocent look being a front. It had vanished completely now, to be replaced by an odd expression that she had never seen him wear before; that caused her anger to dissolve into bubbles that rose up in her chest like champagne. All of a sudden, it felt as if her chest was too tight, as if the bubbles were pressing against it and it was going to burst. She was happy, but it was a painful happiness. She could not understand it or describe it. All she knew was that her relationship with Takeru had subtlely changed somehow, and that she did not quite like it. 

"I can't think of any other way," he said quietly, "I can't. So, you're going to have to take one for the team, kid." 

His words snapped her back to reality, champagne sensation completely forgotten. The look in his eyes had vanished and Takeru was just her best friend again. That was, he was her best friend, who seemed prepared to feed her to the lions to win the quiz. She scowled at him.

"Can't we just get XV-mon to pin him down and forcefeed him? Forget it. I know the answer to that already. So, I guess I have a date with Daisuke tonight." 

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In part 3, Hikari takes one for the team as she prepares to go on a date with Daisuke. 

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QUESTIONS:

Heh heh heh, my readers have to work in my 'fics! First, lyrics. Now, infoquest. In the dub, there's an ongoing joke about Davis being unable to get T.K.'s name right. He tends to change the last initial, hence T.B and T.P. What is the equivalent in the original? 

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FOOTNOTES: 

* I read somewhere that this is actually the Japanese spelling of his name. I only know hiragana and all of twenty symbols of katakana at the moment, so am not sure one way or the other myself. Ah, the joys of beginning Japanese . . . 


	3. Chapter 3 (So imaginative!)

EDUCATING MR MOTOMIYA

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PART 3

"I'm going WHERE?" Tailmon* rounded on her human partner, paws planted firmly on her hips and an expression of frank disbelief on her face. There were only two explanations for what she had just heard. Either her pointed ears were playing tricks on her, or Hikari was finally cracking beneath the strain of being a Chosen Child. She tilted her head and looked worriedly at her friend. Appearances _were_ deceptive, but she _seemed _sane. Dressed in a flannel bathrobe, she had her back to her Digimon and her head in the wardrobe. From time to time, she would pull out an outfit and hold it against her, before replacing in the wardrobe with a shake of her head. 

" . . . With me on my date, princess. If I have to go out with Daisuke tonight, you're coming along with me to keep me company. Besides, I know V-mon will be there." 

"And will Takeru and Patamon also be there?" she asked hopefully, deciding to disregard Hikari's comment about V-mon. She liked Takeru. He was one of the few humans who knew the special spot behind the ears where all Tailmon liked to be scratched, and who was prepared to spend hours doing so. That was a rare combination of qualilities in her opinion. She even allowed him to hold her on occasion, which was an honour she usually reserved for Hikari.** And Patamon was her best Digimon friend. He understood her, her different moods. He was not offended when she wanted to be alone, and he was always up for a game when she was feeling playful. That was the best kind of friend to have. She had an odd feeling that they might have been more when they had evolved into their angel forms, but thinking about it made her feel uncomfortable.*** _Everyone knew you became a different Digimon when you evolved, didn't they? Angewomon **isn't** me._

"I'm afraid not," Hikari sighed, finally selecting pants and a shirt from her closet, "It wouldn't be a date if I had my best friend - my best, human friend, that is - tagging along with me." 

With a sigh of her own, she replied, "Can't you tell them that I'm at home washing my fur?" 

Wiggling into her capris, "I thought our Digimon partners were meant to suffer along with us, Tailmon." 

"Throw BelialVamdemon at me and I'll field it," she said wryly, "Daisuke and V-mon are another story." 

In general, Tailmon did not approve of Daisuke. Sure, she knew he had a good heart beneath all his bravado. The problem was that it was set on Hikari. No matter how her partner tried to tell him that she was not interested in him, he pursued her relentlessly. His crush had plumbed new depths last week when he had borrowed his sister's guitar to serenade Hikari outside of her window. Unfortunately, as she lived in a block of flats and as Daisuke was no Ishida Yamato when it came to singing, he had ended up having various shoes and vegetables thrown at him. Even that had not dissuaded him! He had gone on caterwauling until after midnight! Poor Hikari had been too embarrassed to show her face the next morning, and Tailmon did not like anybody who embarrassed Hikari. That, and she had still not forgiven him for stepping on her tail a few weeks ago. As to V-mon . . .

"I thought you liked V-mon," Hikari's reply was muffled by the shirt she was slipping over her head. 

She gave her the flat, defiant stare that her former master had hated so much, "Put it this way, kid. I'd take a case of the fleas over him, because they're less irritating." 

Hikari ignored the comment and the expression, doing a little twirl for her partner, "So, how do I look?" 

Even in the midst of her sulk, Tailmon felt a surge of possessive pride as she looked at her human. Even though she could not understand the other species' obsession with clothes, she knew that Hikari had impeccable taste in them. For her so-called date with Daisuke, she had chosen to team a pair of khaki capris with a white tanktop. The shirt was printed with a glittery butterfly that twinkled different colours whenever her friend moved. She was proud of how beautiful her human was. Not that she cared to share that observation at the moment. 

"Why do you care how you look for Daisuke?" 

"I don't, but he has to think I do. Otherwise, he'll know for sure that the date's not real." 

Before Tailmon could snidely comment that it looked pretty real to her, Taichi poked his head around the corner. She could tell he had gone into protective older brother mode. He was chewing at his bottom lip and he had a concerned expression on his face beneath all his hair. That usually meant trouble for somebody. 

"Do you mind, Taichi?" Hikari sounded irritated, "I could have been getting dressed."

Her brother waved her objections aside with a hand, "This is more important than manners. Tell me you aren't going out with Daisuke tonight." 

"How did you find out about it?" 

"Simple, Hikari. He's at the door!" 

* * *

TBC

* * *

NOTES:

* She's Gatomon in the dub. Don't ask me why they went with the Spanish word for cat, when Tailmon is a perfectly simple name. 

** See the third movie. In the train, he has both Pata and Tail on his lap. 

*** 'Tis coda, even if it is a case of you'll miss it if you blink. There's a scene in the second season where you see Angemon with his arm around Angewomon's shoulder. 


	4. Chapter 4 (Detecting a pattern?)

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*DISC: Characters belong to Toei. If I owned them, I would not have allowed Nimoy to do the dub. This part is especially for the people who thought I was being a touch hard on our Daisuke-kun. Trust me, he's so kawaii in this that I almost doubted whether Hikari and Takeru really belonged together. It even took me a few rewatchings of His Master's Voice to regain my faith in them. ;)* 

*ERRATUM: In the first part, I had Miyako in the same class as Takeru, Daisuke and Hikari. As 'Relaxing Pikachu' pointed out, she's a year ahead of them and, had I been thinking, I would have remembered the fieldtrip episode. _Sorry about that!_*

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EDUCATING MR MOTOMIYA

PART 4

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While Taichi was fetching Hikari for him, Daisuke was getting nervous. It was one thing to pursue Hikari when he knew he had no chance of getting her; it was quite another to have her telephone him to ask him out on a date. She had had to repeat herself about five times until he was sure that he was neither hallucinating nor dreaming. He still was not certain whether someone would pinch him and he would wake up in his bed. After all, she had never shown the slightest interest in him. In fact, she had cut him down cold on every occasion when he had tried to make his feelings known to her. When Takeru had moved to Odaiba, he had been able to guess the reason for that. For months now, the two had been joined at the hip and he did not buy their best friends act. Why had Hikari changed her mind all of a sudden? 

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Come on, Daisuke. Don't overthink this. You've been waiting for this chance all your life and you've made sure everything is perfect for her. Better go through everything one more time, though. Suit? He smoothed the smart, black tuxedo that he had worn for his grandmother's last birthday and straightened the matching bowtie. _Flowers? _He glanced down at the bunch of white and pink daisies in his hand. Miyako had told him they were Hikari's favourite, once she had recovered from the shock of hearing he had a date with her. _Money? _He patted his pocket to reassure himself that he had brought his wallet and that it was thick enough to cover the expensive restaurant to which he had planned to take her._ You're okay, Daisuke. You're going to be okay tonight._ He was just beginning to feel a little more at ease when Hikari came around the corner and ripped apart whatever shreds of confidence he had been able to put together. 

It was not that she said or did anything, so much as she looked it. Her brown eyes were very large and very luminous in her pretty face, and there was a shy half-smile on her lips. He barely noticed the angry-looking Tailmon stalking at her heels, tail swishing behind her, blue eyes narrowed into slits. _She is so beautiful! This can't be real! I have to be dreaming! _Not sure whether he wanted to wake up, he grasped a fold of skin between his thumb and index finger, then squeezed until he yelped with pain. _I'm not! But if I'm not . . . Oh boy . . . . _

"Hi, Daisuke. Uh, why are you pinching yourself?"

"Hika . . .Hika . . ." 

"Do you need a glass of water for those hiccups, Daisuke?" V-Mon inquired innocently. In keeping with his human partner's suit, the little Digimon had a red bowtie around his neck. His blue skin had been scrubbed until it squeaked, while he had polished his horn to a gleam. He also had brought a bouquet for Tailmon, although his was a little bunch of catnip and not daisies. 

"Flowers," Daisuke thrust out the daisies towards his date, "You take. Now. Please. Yes?" 

"How did you know I love daisies?" Hikari said with a delighted grin, carefully placing them in a vase on the table, "Thank you, Daisuke." 

"I brought some for you too," V-mon chirruped, handing the catnip to Tailmon. Even though he sounded more confident than his partner, a rosy blush stained his white cheeks and he was scuffing the carpet with his feet. The other Digimon gave the posy a disinterested sniff before tossing it onto the table next to the vase. 

"Thanks," she said without enthusiasm, "Can we go now, Hikari?" 

With a rueful expression on her face, "I think I'm underdressed for wherever Daisuke is planning to take us, Tail." 

"No! No! Perfect! You are! Yes, you are! Come! We go now!" he blurted. 

"Give me a second to grab my jacket, Yoda, and I'll be with you," Hikari said with a little laugh, disappearing around the corner again. Daisuke sank his face into his hands with a low groan. He had made a perfect fool of himself in front of Hikari. _Why does my brain always have to disconnect itself from my mouth when she's around?_

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Next time: Daisuke and Hikari have their date but can she make him eat seafood? 

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	5. Chapter 5 (Yup, that was predictable!)

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*MINI-FIC DISCLAIMER: 

Karen: Characters belong to Toei. If I owned them, I would sell the Sacred Harmonica of Ishida Yamato on E-bay and become a millionaire. 

Yamato: You would sell my harmonica? O.O 

Karen: I'd sell Takeru-chan's hat, but even his legion of fans wouldn't buy it. 

Takeru: What's wrong with my hat? ¬.¬ #

Everyone except Takeru: O.O ,

Karen: What about Ken-chan's hair?

Ken [clutching his head]: I need your hat, Takeru-chan! 

Miyako: Aaaaaaaaaah! My boyfriend is not wearing that hat! 

Takeru: What's wrong with my hat? ¬.¬ #

Karen: As that isn't going to happen in this lifetime - and thank goodness from the above dialogue - lots and lots of feedback is the best way to make me feel like a million bucks. 

Yamato: That's subtle. 

Karen: Shh. Other people get 500 reviews for their stories. I got excited when I topped 20. 

Ken: So that's what desperation sounds like. 

Karen: Anyway, for this chapter, I have mixed Japanese and Western restaurant customs. Just for fun. I've been learning about them while learning the restaurant vocabulary, so why not? Daisuke-chan, kindly demonstrate. 

Daisuke: Boku wa sushi.

Takeru: Hai, atana wa sushi da. ^.^ 

Daisuke: Takeru no baka. ¬.¬ #

Yamato: End this! By the Sacred Harmonica of Ishida Yamato, end this insanity!

Karen: Anything for your sacred harmonica, Yamato-chan . . . 

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EDUCATING MR MOTOMIYA

PART 5

When Hikari entered the restaurant, she looked around in despair. She was hopelessly out-of-place. The walls were panelled in rich, dark wood, broken in places by paintings of fruit and windows framed in red velvet. The carpetting on the floor came up to her ankles, so that it felt like she was walking through long grass with every step. The tables were made of the same, dark wood and gleamed with fine crystal and silver. White, linen napkins, folded into the shapes of swans, swum on all of them. She could see at a glance that it was one of the smart, Western ones that catered to the foreign businessmen and tourists who visited Odaiba. She could not understand how people could travel halfway across the world to see another country, yet want everything to be precisely the same when they arrived there. 

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After all, when I went to New York with Takeru to visit Mimi . . . I would have cheerfully sold everything I owned for a tempura or for some nichomes! Or if I didn't have to see another double cheeseburger and icecream in my life. Mimi's American friends have definitely watched too much Fushigi Yuugi.* And she definitely has too many friends!

Hikari doubted that they had eaten a meal at Mimi's house the entire time they had been in America. Every night, another group of her friends had arrived to take them out to McDonalds or Burger King for another round of the dreaded double cheeseburgers and icecream. Mimi had not been discreet about her adventures in the Digital World either, so they had been dying to meet the other Chosen Children. By the end of their trip, Hikari knew Takeru was as tired as she was of telling how they had defeated the Dark Masters and Apocalymon.** By some miracle, though, he had kept his temper, even when the friends had insisted on prodding, poking and stroking poor Patamon and Tailmon until their Digimon had hidden in a cupboard and refused to come out for anyone. It had taken a box of Twinkies, two bars of chocolate and half a milkshake to coax their partners out of hiding, and then they had had to contend with two, very hyper Digimon. At the time, she had wondered uncharitably if his patience had had anything to do with the girls who kept giggling and commenting on how cute he was. _I don't know why! Takeru's not cute! He isn't! _

Consequently, it had been with a sense of relief that she had left New York to help Wallace. She had even been able to get through the farewell party where Mimi's family had taken them out to dinner and ordered the notorious double cheeseburgers and icecream as a special treat for them. Her father had said that they should have one American meal before setting out for Japan again. She and Takeru had simply exchanged glances above the table, before pretending to enjoy the meal. That restaurant had been a lot like this one - very fancy and probably very expensive. 

It was_ sweet of Daisuke to bring me to such a nice one, but I wish he had told me in advance. I still don't know what I would have worn - perhaps the bridesmaid's dress I wore to my aunt's wedding - No, that's too purple and frilly_. _I'd have had to go shopping with Miyako or Sora or somebody. I wish he'd told me._

However, Daisuke did not seem to notice her discomfort, as he continued to chatter and crack jokes even when the maitre d' came to seat them. From the instant she had returned with her coat, he had begun talking and hadn't stopped. As they walked to their table, he launched into a play-by-play account of his last soccer match at a speed which would have done any racing commentator proud. And his cheeks had been and were a shade to match V-mon's red bowtie. She wondered if he was feverish. That would explain his odd behaviour. _It can't be shyness. Daisuke is never shy. _

That was the understatement of the millenium. Daisuke had not received the Crest of Courage - the same crest as her brother - for nothing.*** Normally, he was one of the most confident people whom she knew. Yamato called him cocky, but Daisuke was too much like Taichi for her to agree with that description. Both of them had big hearts, which they always followed over their heads. However, when it came to how he usually behaved around her, she thought Yamato might have had a point. Tonight, however, he seemed strangely edgy. When V-mon arrived, she decided, she would ask him if his partner were feeling well. 

To avoid certain, uncomfortable questions, the two Digimon had said that they would find a way to sneak into the restaurant, once Hikari and Daisuke had found a table. There had been a note in Tailmon's voice that suggested she might try the poor, hungry kitten routine, while V-Mon had cheerfully proposed to find a fat person behind whom to hide. Regardless, she could not worry about them. Where food was involved, their Digimon would make a plan. As for herself, she had to think of a way to force fish down Daisuke's throat, or else the whole date would have been for nothing. And, come hell or high water, Yagami Hikari was not going to let that happen! 

When they had been seated at a corner table and their towels and cups of complimentary tea had been brought to them, she decided to broach the subject of the Brainbuster Challenge. 

"So, are you ready for the quiz, Daisuke?" 

"Eh, I guess. It shouldn't be too hard," he shrugged, sounding a little unwilling to talk about it. 

"We're against Tamachi," she reminded him, "Tamachi means Ichijouji Ken." 

"Hey, there has to be a reason I'm Ken's jogress-partner," Daisuke grinned, sounding like himself for a moment, "It's probably because we're both boy geniuses." 

Hikari sweatdropped, "And Takeru and Iori are partners because they both are tall and play basketball, right?" 

"Heh," Daisuke's cheeks darkened a shade or two, then he hastily changed the subject, "I wonder where Tailmon and V-Mon are." 

"We're here," a voice hissed from beneath the table. The two humans bent to look, and found the two Digimon crouched in the gloom. V-Mon had a triumphant grin on his face and a crooked bowtie around his neck, while Tailmon was busy readjusting her gloves and smoothing down her white fur, although neither was dishevelled. 

"How did you two get here without us noticing you?" she asked. 

"Please," Tailmon said dryly, giving her face a final preen, "I wasn't Vandemon's best henchcat for nothing." 

"We hid at the bottom of one of those carts of food, then jumped out when it passed your table," V-Mon explained, suiting action to word with an energetic pantomime of what they had done. 

"After we order, you can climb . . . ." 

"Can I be of assistance, sir, miss? Have you dropped something?" she heard somebody say from beside their table. V-Mon froze, eyes wide with horror, and Tailmon took the opportunity to sidle behind Hikari's legs. A sideways glance revealed a pair of shoes polished to a gleam and black trousers with a crisply precise crease up their sides. She shot upright to meet the mild, incurious stare of the waiter. 

"My . . . uh, wallet fell," Daisuke gabbled, "But I've . . . heh, heh . . . found it now." 

"Very good, sir," their waiter nodded, clearly too polite or disinterested to question their story, "In that case, are you ready to order?" 

"I'll have the ramen soup, please," he said, not bothering to consult the menu. The waiter nodded and scribbled on a little pad. Hikari felt her stomach drop at the words. _Darn. What am I going to do now? His order's hardly a surprise - Daisuke would live off ramen soup if he could - but I guess I hoped I'd get a chance to change his mind before the waiter came. Stupid waiter. Okay, girl, time to think on your feet. . . . _

"Wouldn't you rather have the mixed sushi?" she suggested lightly. 

"Yuck," he pulled a face, "You know I hate fish, Hikari." 

"That's a pity," she knew she was sinking lower and lower by the second, but she was too desperate to care, "I think there's nothing cuter than a boy who likes seafood." 

Daisuke went an even deeper crimson. 

"On second thought, make mine a mixed sushi, please." 

Feeling like the rat she knew she was, Hikari smiled sweetly at him. 

__

It should be smooth sailing from here. . . . 

---

NEXT TIME: Famous, last words from Hikari, as everything goes horribly wrong! 

---

NOTES: 

* In the FY anime, Miaka is forever on about double cheeseburgers and icecream. If you ever want to improve your Japanese food vocabulary, that's the anime for you. :) 

** Is the name the same in the original? I hope so, because I'm lazy to check. It could be Apokalimon, but that'd just be the limitations of the kana. 

*** I don't think the second generation - with the obvious exception of Hikari and Takeru - really have crests, but that's something I'm exploring in my other series. 


	6. Chapter 6 (one in which EVERYTHING goes ...

KAREN: Again, the characters in this story belong to Toei Animation Corp.

JYOU: Am I the only one who finds it odd that 'the characters in this story' are only eleven or twelve? 

KAREN: Hey, if Tamahome can propose to Miaka when she's the ripe, old age of fifteen, Hikari and Daisuke can go on a date when they're eleven. It's anime, Jyou-kun. No-one cares.

TAICHI: blinks FIFTEEN? SORA-CHAN, MARRY ME!

SORA: Haven't you seen the script for 'A Million Points of Light' yet? I end up married to Yamato. Yamato and I are an Official Couple (TM).

YAMATO: _O.O ,_

SORA: What's that emoticon meant to mean? _¬.¬ #_

KAREN: Eh . . . heh. Moving right on, Takeru was scheduled to be here this week, but he was so embarrassed about his Japanese gaff in the last part that he's hiding beneath his hat. He says he hasn't been himself since he was dubbed by people who clearly speak less Japanese than me. (Unless Takeru-kun is REALLY what the National Guard is called in Japan, of course!) Obviously, 'you' is anata. Gomen nasai. ^.^ 

SORA: Hey! Just because you've taken the Ishida Yamato Pledge doesn't mean you can shelter him by changing the subject! _¬.¬ #_

KAREN: Yama-sama, RUN! I'll distract her with the following story . . . 

* * *

EDUCATING MR MOTOMIYA

__

PART 6

With some relief, Daisuke saw the waiter disappear into the kitchen with their empty plates. It was not that he was glad their meal was finished, because that meant his date with Hikari was one step closer to being finished. It was that he would _never_ have to take another bite of sushi in his life. Even though he had shared most of the sushi no moriawase with a happy Tailmon, eating what had remained had taken every ounce of courage he possessed. He had not known that dead fish on seaweed could be so frightening. Nonetheless, he had managed to eat every bite of it and even smile at Hikari while he was doing so. Unfortunately, his stomach was now making noises that he had not heard since Jun had dared him to eat the furry pizza at the back of their refrigerator.

However, none of that mattered. All that was important was that his first date with Hikari was going well, and that meant there might be a second or even a third in their future. He wondered if it were too soon to start introducing her as his girlfriend. At the thought of that, his stomach gave an odd, queasy flutter that had nothing to do with the sushi he had eaten. _Hikari is so smart and so beautiful. I can't believe she's sitting across the table from me now. I can't believe she chose me. I can't believe she's mine. _

Feeling his cheeks grow warm, he looked up at her. To his surprise, Hikari was gazing back at him, her chin resting on laced fingers, her brown eyes as warm as melted chocolate. Her cheeks were pink, and there was a small, secretive smile on her lips. Beside her, Tailmon seemed to have gotten a furball caught in her throat. V-Mon was thumping her shoulders with a paw, but it did not seem to be helping. She kept on making strange, choking noises, and tugging on Hikari's shirt. Surprisingly, the girl seemed oblivious to what was happening with her partner. If Daisuke had not known better, he would have said she was in a trance. He had seen the same, dreamy look on Jun's face whenever she was within a hundred metres of Takeru's older brother, Yamato. _Wow. I must have more of an effect on girls than I thought. I must be . . . pretty hot. _

Hikari leaned forward and said in honeyed tones: "Daisuke, I was wondering . . . do you know the population of Japan?" 

Daisuke almost fell off of his chair in shock. Of all the things that he thought Hikari might have been wondering, the population of their country was not one of them.

"WHAT? WHY?" 

"It's a game I play with Taichi. We test each other on general knowledge, and the winner has to perform a forfeit. My brother usually makes me do his laundry for a week," Hikari said smoothly, "So, do you know the population of Japan?" 

He racked his brain desperately._ Think, Daisuke, think. If you get this right, you can ask her for anything, even a second date or . . . or a kiss! And she won't be able to get mad, because it's a forfeit! Yes! Come on, Daisuke! _He remembered Mr. Hamasaki pointing to a map of their country and saying something about how many people lived there, but he had been too busy trying to spitball Takeru to pay much attention. To add insult to injury, the only person he had been able to hit with his missiles was Mr Hamasaki. At that point, he had been handed a bucket full of water and made to stand in the hallway for an hour. His stomach groaned with him. 

"No, but only because I haven't been introduced to all of them yet," he answered with a weak grin, "Heh . . . heh . . . eh. . . . Bill, please!" 

To his intense relief, the waiter immediately glided up to their table with a small, leather folder in his hand. Daisuke took it from him, grateful for the interruption. That was, he was grateful until he opened the folder and looked at the bill. Drops of sweat formed on his forehead. The problem wasn't the large number of zeros in the total, but the numbers in front of them. The fish that he and Hikari had eaten must have been fed on flakes of solid gold to cost that much. He began to wonder if it would have been better to take her to McDonalds for double cheeseburgers and icecream. He knew they were her favourite food, because Mimi had told him Hikari had ordered them every night in America. Nonetheless, he managed to smile grandly at his date as he reached into his pocket . . . and his hand passed straight through it. 

His eyes bulged as he looked at his trousers. He could see his fingers sticking out through an enormous tear where his pocket had been. It was the sort of tear that looked as if it had been caused by a V-Mon bumping into his side with its horn while crossing a busy road on the way to an expensive restaurant. His wallet was probably roadkill by now. 

Daisuke's stomach grew even queasier at the thought of what he was going to have to say next.

"I can't pay this, Hikari. I must have dropped my wallet," he hissed, "Do you have any money on you?" 

"No," she replied, voice cooling by several degrees, "I don't have any money, Daisuke. When I offered to go dutch, you said that a gentleman always paid for his date." 

"I'll have to charm my way out of this situation, then," he said, plastering a grin onto his face and lifting a hand to call the waiter, "Excuse me, sir. I'm so, so sorry, but I don't have any money, because - ha, ha, this is so funny - my pocket tore and I dropped my wallet. And - eh, heh, heh - it's my first date with Hikari and I was hoping that you'd . . . uh, forget all about it? Please?" 

Mouth stiff from grinning so hard, Daisuke looked up at the man to gauge his reaction. He fully expected him to toss both of them on the pavement, or to call the police to haul them off to prison. Unbelievably, his speech seemed to have worked. The waiter had a sympathetic expression on his face, and his voice was very soft and very kind when he spoke: "I understand, sir. It could happen to anybody. It would be very unfortunate to let an honest accident ruin your evening. Because it's such a special occasion, I'll let you and your girlfriend . . . ." his eyebrows drew together as he bellowed, "WORK IT OFF IN THE KITCHEN!" 

As they followed the angry waiter to the kitchen, he thought he heard Hikari mutter: "I'm going to murder Takaishi Takeru." 

* * *

Holding the receiver a few inches away from his ear, Takeru waited for a furious Hikari to finish her account of her nightmare date with Daisuke. From what he could tell, they had spent most of the evening in the restaurant's kitchen, scrubbing greasy pots and removing unidentifiable stains from its floor. And the owner - whom Takeru strongly suspected of being a close relative of Digitamamon - had told them that they could come back the next day to finish paying off their bill! 

". . . And, as he was walking me home, he threw up all over my new shoes!" his friend concluded, "Worst of all, you can tell your mom that fish doesn't make people smarter! Daisuke still has the intelligence of your average Numemon. I kept asking him questions and he didn't get a single one right." 

When he thought it was safe to speak, he ventured: "So, we need another plan." 

"No kidding. And this one had better not involve me."

"Nope, I think it's time to call in the big guns," he said grimly, "We need Kido Jyou!" 

* * *

NEXT TIME: _Mark your diaries in red, as Kido Jyou actually gets a part in a story, but will even he be enough to make Daisuke smart? ;) _


	7. Chapter 7 (Jyou's Cameo!)

__

Karen: Hey, Jyou. You better get ready for your cameo in this story, that uses characters that belong to Toei.

Jyou: Huh? I'm in a story, that is not making any profit? 

Karen: Hai. This part is even told from your perspective.

Jyou: I get a perspective? 

Karen: Sou desu.

::Jyou weeps for happiness::

Iori: So, when do I get a cameo?

Karen: Who are you? ::puzzled expression::  
Iori: I'm Iori! 

Karen: Uhhhh . . .

Iori: I'm the Chosen Child who has the Crests of Knowledge and Faith. 

Karen: Ummm . . . You're neither Koushirou nor Jyou, right?

Iori: I'm Takeru's jogress-partner!

Karen: YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TRAVESTY THAT IS "I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT"-MON??? THAT'S THE ONLY ANGEMON-EVOLUTION I DON'T LIKE!!!!

Iori: Eep. 

Karen: AND THAT MEANS YOU DON'T RESPECT THE BATPIG!!!!

Iori: Double eep.

Patamon: I'M NOT A PIG! 

Jyou: Let's draw a curtain on this inanity and insanity, and get on with our story. It has me in it. ^.^ 

****

EDUCATING MR MOTOMIYA

PART 7

"What is the capital of Australia?" Jyou asked patiently.

"Too easy. It's the letter A," Daisuke replied blithely, "Let's wait for Takeru before we do anymore. I'm sure he needs this session more than me." 

Jyou glanced despairingly at Hikari, who shrugged and looked apologetic. When Takeru had phoned him to ask him to help with their preparation for the Brainbuster Challenge, he had been flattered and a little surprised. Most of their friends automatically went to Koushirou or Ken whenever they had a problem with their schoolwork. It had been nice to think that they had chosen to come to him - good, old, reliable Jyou - for a change. 

After half-an-hour of quizzing Daisuke, the gloss had completely rubbed off of that. So far, he had said that the periodic table was where scientists sometimes ate supper, that a square root grew from square trees and that one of America's major exports was Leonardo di Caprio. Worst of all, he seemed absolutely oblivious to his ignorance. He had answered every question Jyou had put to him with a cocky grin and a comment about how easy it was. 

With a deep sigh, he turned his attention back to the younger boy. Daisuke was perched on the edge of the desk, kicking his legs in front of him and tossing a silver photoframe from one hand to the other. He was whistling something tuneless that might have been the themesong to "Titanic" or "Mary Had a Little Lamb". 

"Please be careful. That's a photograph of the first time we went to the Digital World," the older boy said nervously, "I'd hate for it to get ruined." 

With an apologetic grimace, the boy replaced it on the desk and twisted to look at it. Jyou did not need to do the same to know what the frame contained. It was the one Andromon had taken after they had defeated the final Dark Master. It showed all of the Chosen Children, their Digimon and the friends that had helped them. All of the Chosen Children had a copy, and, although some of them were reluctant to admit it, it meant a lot to all of them. He had even seen a copy on Yamato's mantelpiece, although the boy had been quick to hide it, mutter that the frame had been a present and he had had to put _something_ in it. Suddenly, Daisuke began to laugh.

"That . . . that little, blond kid . . . with . . . the - the green hat . . . that's not Takeru, is it?" he managed to gasp between bursts of laughter. 

"It's certainly not Yamato," Hikari said, a dangerous edge to her voice. 

"But . . . but he's . . . he's shorter than you, Hikari!" Daisuke continued obliviously, almost weeping with laughter, "And . . . I didn't think . . . ha-hats came worse than his current one, but . . . he's just proved me wrong!" 

Uneasily, Jyou looked back at Hikari. She was the sweetest, most even-tempered girl he had ever met. She was the last to pick a fight, and the first to stop other people's. When she got angry, however, it was a good idea to put a few continents between you and her. And, at the moment, she looked ready to throw the thick, science textbook she was holding at Daisuke. Evidently picking up on her partner's mood, Tailmon's tail was swishing and her eyes had narrowed into slits. 

"Shut up, Daisuke! None of that matters," she yelled, "What matters is the way Takeru faced Puppetmon all by himself to help his brother. What matters is the way he watched over me when I was sick, and made sure that I was fine. What matters is the way that he pretended not to be scared when we were in the sewer and Machinedramon was after us. What matters is the way that he made me climb the rope first so I would be able to escape Piedmon, and the way that he tried not to let go of my hand when we were falling off of it. What matters is . . . . " Hikari choked off in mid-sentence, suddenly pale. Her hand went to her mouth, as if she wanted to prevent any other words coming out by accident. 

"Hikari?" Daisuke asked, sounding worried, "Are you okay?" 

Concerned, Jyou hurried to her side to check if she were fine, and saw the cause of her distress. Standing in the door, a bright blush staining his cheeks and an uncomfortable smile on his face, was Takaishi Takeru. A sleepy-looking Patamon occupied his usual perch on his partner's head, his wings drooping, and his eyes half-closed. Lifting his hand in a half-wave, the boy said: "Uh, hi. I'm sorry I'm late, but I had to stop by the station to get last year's questions from my dad. Your mom let me in, and I . . . um . . . . Should we get started?" 

---

TBC

---

__

Notelet: I know it is very, very short. I'm *officially* back at University, and I didn't have time to write anything longer. At the same time, though, I didn't want to stall the story. Anyway, someone requested a bit of Takari in the 'fic, so he or she can consider this my answer to his or her request. Again, don't consider this Daisuke bashing. It's being told from Jyou's perspective. Keep in mind the way in which Daisuke answered Hikari's question in the last part, and why. And, frankly, I adored Chibi Takeru in season 1, but that hat was . . . I wrote a 'fic about that hat to explain it away, if that shows my feelings on the subject. :)


	8. Chapter 8 (A little more Takari)

__

Karen: My turn to quiz Daisuke-chan. 

Daisuke: O.O 

Karen: What do you get when you add two halves together? 

Daisuke: Paildramon.^.^ 

Everyone Else: WHAT? 

Daisuke: One half is Stingmon. The other half is XV-mon. They jogress to Paildramon. D'uh. 

Karen: -.-; Moving on rapidly, the answer was meant to be a whole. In other words, half a Takari chapter plus another half a Takari chapter equals a whole Takari chapter. Or chapter seven and chapter eight make up a whole chapter when read together. 

Daisuke: Takari? Is that the name of the new Digidestined? 

Takeru: Do you want to tell him? Or should I? 

Hikari: Let's leave it to the author. She enjoys seeing Daisuke superdistort.

Karen: Takari = Takeru x Hikari. ^.^ 

::Daisuke turns to stone and pigeons land on him::

Koushirou: Not to apply ruthless logic or anything, but isn't this fanfiction about 'educating Mr Motomiya', not matchmaking Mr Takaishi and Ms Yagami? 

Karen: Precisely, Koushirou. That is why this chapter concludes the Takari festivities. 

::Hikari and Takeru weep:: 

Karen: There, there. You'll always have a Million Points of Light. 

Yamato: Author in denial. Author in denial. She still refuses to believe they didn't get together in it. 

Sora: Ee, they aren't an official couple (TM) like Yamato-san and me. ^.^

Yamato: o.O 

Karen: While I take Yamato to therapy, why don't you enjoy the following chapter? 

*

EDUCATING MR MOTOMIYA

PART 8

"You are officially an idiot," Hikari thought glumly, as she stared at her science book and pretended to be engrossed by the lifecycle of the tapeworm. Even though Takeru hadn't said a word about what he must have overheard, she knew he was feeling as awkward about it as she was. When they worked together, he usually sprawled on the floor beside her or read over her shoulder at her desk. Instead, he was sitting on the bed next to Jyou, his legs tucked beneath him and his hat beside him. Patamon snored gently on his lap. From the expression on his face, he was paying as much attention to his book about the Meian Era, as she was to hers. 

Ever since that look on the basketball court, things had not been the same between them. Oh, they might have talked as usual, laughed as usual, and played as usual. To everyone else, it would have seemed as if everything was normal between them, and as if they were the best friends they had always been. But, underlying everything, had been an awareness that Takeru was no longer just her friend. It was like that single look had opened a door through which everything was new and strange and frightening, yet through which she had to step eventually. 

Evidently sensing that someone was watching him, Takeru looked up from his reading. For a brief, thrilling instant, his eyes met hers. Why had she never noticed before how blue they were? She had only seen a blue that pure and intense once in the past when she had been a little girl. It had been a cold, grey day, and she had been sitting by the window, watching the rain-drops trace patterns on the glass. Suddenly, the clouds had parted to reveal a patch of sky that was almost luminous in its blueness. It had lasted a second before it had disappeared, but the memory of the colour had remained vivid in her mind. How had she never noticed in all their years of friendship that Takeru's eyes were that precise shade of blue? Feeling her cheeks grow warm, she dipped her head back to her book. 

"He must think I'm going mad. Even I think I'm going mad. What's wrong with me?" she asked herself, staring furiously at the innocuous diagram of an amoeba, "I can't be falling in love with him, can I? He's my best friend. He's been my best friend since I was eight. Things like that don't happen in real life. They belong in romance novels and . . . silly, made-for-TV movies. They don't happen to me." 

"Hikari? What's wrong?" Tailmon asked, evidently sensing her mood. 

"Nothing. There's only so much tapeworm a girl can take," she said with a false, little laugh. 

"The same goes for Python Gore," Daisuke agreed, slamming his book shut to emphasise his point, "With a name like that, I expected him to be a lot more exciting." 

Hikari saw Jyou wince, but she was not sure whether it was at the abuse of his maths' book or Daisuke's continued state of blissful ignorance. With tremendous forebearance, the older boy removed his glasses and rubbed them clean on his shirt before answering, "Firstly, Daisuke, it's Pythagoras. Secondly, I don't think a break is a bad idea. I'll go get us some snacks." 

"I'm coming too!", Daisuke leapt enthusiastically off the dresser and followed Jyou out of the door. A huge grin on his face, V-Mon bounced after his partner, like a blue-and-white spaceball. Hikari told herself not to panic. Tailmon was still there. Tailmon was sensitive to her feelings. Tailmon wasn't the kind of Digimon to leave her partner in the lurch. Tailmon was ... following the others to the kitchen, leaving her alone with a snoring Patamon and Takaishi Takeru! 

She had never thought that she would be sorry to see Daisuke leave, or that she would wish that he would hurry back so that she would not be alone with Takeru. It had also seemed impossible that she could be uncomfortable with her best friend. They had never needed words or actions to understand each other. They had always been able to sit in companionable silence, and know precisely what the other person was thinking or feeling .... Hikari felt everything within her freeze. Her thoughts suddenly seemed too loud and too public. Takeru had always been able to read her - he had to know how her feelings for him had changed. Or, if he had not worked it out, he would in a matter of minutes. No, she had to make conversation, no matter how weak. The silence between them revealed too much.

Plastering a smile onto her face, "Patamon seems really tired. Even the prospect of food didn't wake him." 

"Yeah," Takeru said, his eyes firmly fixed on his sleeping Digimon, "He got into mom's chocolate stash yesterday. He spent all night flying circles around my room." 

"Poor, little guy."

"Yeah." 

"Was your mom upset?"

"Yeah. It was her expensive, Belgian chocolate. I'm going to have to get a summer job to pay for them." 

"I see." 

"Yeah." 

Chewing her lip, Hikari stared at the posters on Jyou's walls and tried not to think about how quiet it was. Or that, in front of her, the door to a new world waited. If she stepped through it, nothing could be the same again. She would be forever changed if she passed through it. She would no longer be a child, but she would not be a woman either. Worst of all, though, she might lose Takeru's friendship. If he rejected her ... She clenched her fists in sudden resolve. Anything would be better than this horrible, tense silence between them. 

"About what I said earlier about you ...." Her foot on the door's threshhold, she hesitated and drew back into safer, familiar territory, "Well, it makes me mad when Daisuke is nasty about you. He shouldn't say things like that about you. He doesn't have any right. You're my best friend, Takeru, and I should stick up for you." 

"I guess I was weirded out by what you said," he replied slowly, picking up his hat and tossing it from hand to hand, "I didn't know you thought ... well, you thought that much of what I did. I've never seen it as anything special, Hikari. Most of the times you mentioned, I was trying my hardest not to burst into tears and hoping like crazy that our brothers would come and help us," he lifted his head and looked directly at her, "I wasn't like you. From the beginning, you were so calm and so brave, no matter what happened to us. You faced everything without batting an eyelid. You never seemed to be afraid, like I was the entire time." 

"That's because I had you, silly," she laughed, "Taichi told me once that there is nobody as courageous as the person who conquers their fear. You might have been afraid, but you never let it beat you. You never gave into it in the sewers or in Puppetmon's house of horrors or on Spiral Mountain or any of the other times my brother mentioned to me. That helped me get over my own fear - because, believe it or not, I was also scared the whole time we were there. So, if I seemed brave, it was because of you." 

"Thanks, Hikari," he said, smiling shyly.

"It's my pleasure, Takeru," she paused, "Now, do you want to come and study the tapeworm with me? I promise it'll be boring, and quite possibly disgusting too."

"With an offer like that, how can I refuse?" 

Patamon grunted slightly but did not wake, as Takeru lifted him off his lap and placed him gently on Jyou's pillow. Slipping off his jacket, he laid it over the little Digimon, then walked across the room to where she was sitting. As he sprawled on the floor beside her, all long arms and longer legs, she knew that everything was going to be all right between them. And, in her mind, a door swung very slowly and gently closed, waiting until the day two years later when she would step through it. 

*

In part 9 . .. 

MARVEL as Jyou, Hikari and Takeru try to educate Mr Motomiya! 

GASP as Daisuke actually gets a question right!

THRILL as the author remembers her main plot!

ALL THIS AND MORE FOR THE LOW, LOW PRICE OF $0,00. 

*


	9. Chapter 9 (with more stupid jokes than e...

__

Catherine: Frappe, frappe.

Karen: Qui est la?

Catherine: Don.

Karen: Don qui?

Catherine: Ee-aw. Ee-aw. ^.^ 

::Everyone groans::

Taichi: I can't believe I kissed her. -.-;;

Takeru: I can't believe I kissed her. -.-;;

Hikari: You kissed her, Takeru? -.-#

::Hikari removes a mallet from her pocket::

Takeru: Eh . . . heh . . . heh . . . My grandfather made me do it! Really! He's an evil man, who makes me sing Frere Jacques and eat snails! 

Hikari: I thought I was the only girl you kissed! -.-#

Daisuke: WHAT? O.O;;; 

Karen: 'Let's go get soda from that vending machine, Takeru'. *Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.* 'Hikari and I will find out where Digitamamon went.' *Nudge, nudge, wink, wink*.

::Daisuke curls up in a foetal ball as a spotlight shines on him::

Catherine: Mais, Takeru, j'ai cru que tu m'as aime. Et je t'aime aussi, Takeru. Je t'aime beaucoup, mon ange de l'espoir. 

::Hikari whacks her with the mallet, sending her flying into the stratosphere.::

Hikari: Je te splat. 

::Everyone cheers.::

Takeru: Le coup de grace.

Taichi: Vas-y, Hikari!

Daisuke: Omelet du fromage.

Karen: Mercifully, it's time to go to the story. Which is in English. I'm sorry if it's too terrible. I was feeling as sick as a Parrotmon when I wrote this. I might revisit it and rewrite it later.

* * *

****

Educating Mr Motomiya

Part 9

"Where are the Andes?"

"At the end of the armies!" 

"What's an atom?"

"Wasn't he in that garden with Eve?"

"What is a 'debate'?" 

"It's something you use to catch de fish!" 

"What is a _nom de plume_?" 

"It's what you call a feather!" 

"What was the first, Japanese novel?"

"Happy, Little Kitten's Kana Funtime!" 

"Here's an easy one. If we breathe oxygen during the day, what do we breathe at night?"

"Nitrogen!" 

Staring despondently at the floor, Daisuke rubbed his tired eyes and battled to stifle a yawn. He wanted to go to bed, and sleep until the quiz was over. Sleeping seemed to be the only thing he could do well. Jyou had been barking questions at him for over an hour now, and he was no closer to getting the right answer than he had been at the beginning of the evening. He might as well have stayed at home and played his new PS2 all evening.

__

Besides, if I'd known this study session was going to become an interrogation, I would have skipped it. Of all my plans to impress Hikari, this ranks below "Make Veemon Digivolve to Champion". And that was pretty stupid. I should have guessed Patamon could reach Mega. Perfect Takeru's perfect Digimon would never stop at Champion. 

He shot a poisonous glance at the snoring Digimon, stretched out on the pillow beneath Takeru's puffer-jacket. A little bubble emerged at the corner of his mouth whenever he exhaled. Tailmon was curled up beside him, her head resting on her paws, her tail tucked neatly around herself. 

__

I suppose V-Mon and I have to face that we're doomed to be losers in love. We'll always lose out to people like Takeru and Digimon like Patamon. 

Reluctantly, he shifted his gaze to where Hikari and Takeru were sitting together on the floor. They were leaning against the base of Jyou's bed, and Takeru had his arm stretched behind her on the mattress. A large atlas was spread across their laps, and they were pointing at it and talking to each other in low voices. Daisuke felt his stomach twist sourly as he looked at them. _It's not fair. It's just not fair. I've tried everything to get her to like me, I've showed her how I feel about her over and over again, but Takeru just has to smile in her direction and she comes running to him. . . . _

"Earth to Daisuke? Hello?" Jyou was waving a card in front of him, and he realised the older boy must have been trying to quiz him, "What is a U-Boat?" 

"A frigging German submarine, okay? But I know that's wrong, because I'm always wrong! I know I'm stupid! I know Hikari will never like me! I know that I'm going to embarrass our school at the quiz, and cause us to lose! I'm sorry for screwing up your perfect lives!" he yelled, anger surging up and crashing over him like a tsunami, "So, will you quit asking me questions? They aren't going to do me any good, because I'm stupid and useless . . . ." 

"A U-Boat is a German submarine," Takeru said softly, "You were right." 

"I was right?" Daisuke repeated incredulously, all his anger changing to surprise in an instant, "I was RIGHT?" 

"You were right!" Jyou grinned at him, "You, Daisuke, were right!" 

"I was right!" he whooped, grabbing Jyou by the hands and spinning him around the room, much to the older boy's startlement. V-Mon followed his partner's lead by twirling a model skeleton across the table. Laughing, Takeru and Hikari applauded them. It was a good feeling to know that they were laughing with him, instead of at him, for once in his life. 

Releasing his grip on Jyou, he turned to his team-mates and punched a fist in the air: "Bring on Tamachi, baby, because Motomiya Daisuke is ready to take them down!" 

* * *

__

Next chapter: Bring your Smarties and your smartdrinks, as the big Brainbuster Challenge begins next time on Educating Mr Motomiya. It's Takeru, Hikari and Daisuke vs Ken and his team. 


	10. Chapter 10 (with cute Father\Son Scene!)

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Karen: Today's disclaimer was going to be in the form of an interpretative dance by Iori, but he couldn't find a black leotard to fit him. Fortunately (for everyone!), Koushirou is able to take his place. 

Koushirou: Indeed. Our most esteemed author requested that I inform you that she does not have possession of any of these fictional entities, nor is she gaining pecuniary benefit from this story. 

Miyako: **Pec**_uniary benefit? Is that like a harem of shirtless men with great chests? *.*_

Koushirou: No. The word comes from 'pecus', meaning a single head of cattle.

Taichi: She doesn't get cows for writing this story?O.o 

Karen: And that's not even true. Mom brought me a burger while I was writing it. 

::Takeru and Hikari look ill::

Takeru and Hikari: A double cheeseburger? Did it come with icecream? 

Koushirou: No! As cows were a form of wealth in early days, the word has come to mean monetary or financial! Like impecunious on the side of the spectrum!

Yamato: Why didn't you just say she's not getting any money? 

::A vein begins to throb in Koushirou's forehead::

::Iori suddenly leaps onto the scene and does a twirl::

Iori: I found a leotard! I'm ready for my interpretative dance now! 

Karen: Too late, mate. Koushirou has already done the disclaimer for us. So, all that remains is for me to say . . . ENJOY THE STORY! 

*

EDUCATING MR MOTOMIYA

PART 10 

"Takeru?" Mr Ishida asked, poking his head around the door of one of the dressing rooms assigned to Odaiba.

"Dad!" his son cried happily, sliding off the chair and running up to him. Mr Ishida battled to choke back his laughter. His son was dressed in the blue blazer, white shirt and grey slacks that the costume department always pulled out for the Brainbuster Challenge. A pinstriped tie completed the ensemble. Somehow, the people there had also managed to convince him to take off his hat and had slicked his hair neatly back with gel. He looked like a miniature billionaire on his way to a business meeting.

"I just came to wish you luck," he said as he ruffled his son's hair back into its customary spikes, "I know you can do it." 

Takeru grinned, "Thanks, dad." 

"Takeru! I feel so stupid! I refuse to appear on national television looking like this!" an female voice wailed from the next dressing room. This time, Mr Ishida could not stifle his laughter, as Hikari emerged from it. Takeru burst out laughing as well. If his son had been a junior tycoon, his best friend was something out of an old, school-girl movie. In fact, he remembered that exact costume being used in the station's production of _Pollyanna_. She was wearing a pleated skirt in the same grey and blue as Takeru's suit, which came down to her knees. Over it, she had a white blouse with a large, velvet bow at the collar. As a final touch, her hair was caught back in very tight, very prim pigtails. 

Her eyes widened when she saw him standing there, and she dipped her head in a respectful bow, "Good afternoon, Mr Ishida."

"Hello, Hikari," he returned the greeting, "I came to wish you all the best for the contest. But where's the third member of your team?"

"Daisuke?" she replied, "The costume department is still trying to get him to part with his goggles. They say they'll catch the light and mess up the shot. He says they give him good luck, so he refuses to take them off." 

"Those are the goggles Taichi gave him," Takeru explained to his father. 

"Can't fault his logic. I guess you've borrowed Yamato's lucky charm," he replied. 

His younger son nodded, dipping his hand into his blazer pocket and extracting an old, battered harmonica. All its tin was tarnished, and it had more than one dent in its surface. The words "Lucky Swan" were barely visible among all the scratches. It probably was no longer capable of even a false note, let alone a true one. Yet Yamato never took to the stage without it in his pocket. 

"You know he cancelled a concert to come watch you tonight," he said with a gentle smile, "Your mom's there as well." 

"I know," Takeru's eyes were firmly fixed on his polished shoes, "I'll try and make you all proud of me." 

"We already are, Takeru, and don't you ever forget that," he rested a hand on his shoulder, before pulling him into a tight bearhug, "I'd better get going if I don't want to lose my seat. Or my other son. Yamato said he'd kill himself if I came too late and he ended up sitting next to Motomiya Jun. I can't say I blame him." 

Takeru laughed, but his blue eyes were suspiciously bright. Having his entire family support him evidently meant a lot to him. Mr Ishida knew that his son still hoped that they would be one family again, that he and Natsuko would get remarried, that they would all live under one roof. Most children of divorce did. Not for the first time, guilt stabbed his chest. _Natsuko and I should have worked it out. We should have gone to therapy or sat down and talked about it or just gritted our teeth and stuck it out for the sake of our kids. It wasn't like I didn't still love her - that was about the only thing that stayed right in our marriage - but love isn't always enough. It should be, but it isn't. _

Somehow, he still managed to grin at his son, say a cheerful goodbye to Hikari and get out of the room without disgracing himself. He even made it past the corner before slumping against the wall. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He had to regain some composure, or else he would be a wreck when he met up with Yamato and Natsuko in the studio audience. He could see the headlines now: **Reporter at Battle of Minds Loses His.**

"What are you doing here, Mr Ishida?" an unfamiliar voice asked, "You're meant to be in make-up." 

He opened one eye to see an impeccably groomed, impeccably dressed woman looking back at him. There was no trace of humour on her severe, ascetic face. An earpiece's wire snaked up from her pocket, and she had a clipboard in her hands which she was tapping impatiently with a pen. 

"Make-up?"

"Didn't you get the memo?" she detached a piece of paper from her clipboard and thrust it at him, "Ms Yamada, who was going to host the show, called in sick. Or her agent did, because she's lost her voice. You're her replacement. So, get to make-up now."

Too shocked to speak, Mr Ishida stared at her numbly. He could not present a show. He had never presented a show in his life. He was strictly the man behind the scenes, chasing down stories, compiling reports, filing them at regular intervals. He got the news so that others could read it. 

"I . . . I've never presented," he said eventually.

"It isn't hard. You just have to read off the cards and the autocue. Besides, we need a serious reporter to give this show some credibility," she shrugged her padded shoulders, "You're him." 

"But . . . but my son is a contestant," he protested, trying another tack, "If Odaiba wins, think of the scandal." 

She pursed her red lips, running a finger down the list of names: "Naturally, that would be a problem. However, I don't see any Ishida here." 

"His name is Takaishi," he explained, "His mother and I are seperated. He uses her name." 

She lifted her eyes from the paper, looking coolly, "Takaishi Takeru from Odaiba?" 

He nodded in relief. He had never loved his younger son more than at that moment. There was no way they could get him to present the show now. The public fallout would simply be too great. He could see the situation already: the Brainbuster Challenge would be declared a farce, Tamachi would probably sue, and heads would roll at the station. No, there was no way they would get him to present. There was no way at all . . . . 

"It's too late to find someone else," she said decisively, "We'll just have to risk it. Besides, it's not like you could have gotten the cards ahead of time and passed them onto your son. That aspect of the show is strictly audited. So, come with me to make-up." 

Mr Ishida, too stunned to argue, followed silently in her perfumed wake. Around him, the last minute preparations for the Brainbuster Challenge were happening. The entire station was abuzz. Editors were finalising the script for the show. Electricians toted rolls of wire between places. Sound engineers were doing their final checks, as were the lighting crews. Anxious gofers ran to and fro with endless cups of coffee. He barely noticed any of it.

The woman paused before a door and motioned for him to enter, before clicking her way down the passage towards the stage. 

"But my son is a contestant. There'll be a scandal," he repeated helplessly, as a short, plump woman manhandled him to the nearest chair and forced him to sit down in it. She was evidently the make-up artist, because she produced an enormous bag of cosmetics and began rummaging in it. Eventually, she produced a giant, black compact and opened it with a professional snap. 

"You wish, sweetie," she drawled, as she patted his face with an enormous powderpuff. Clouds of powder puffed up from it, causing Mr Ishida to cough and wave his hand in front of his face to disperse it, "Between you and me, your only job is to read the cards and to look pretty for the cameras." 

"B-but the producer told me I bring journalistic credibility to the competition," he stammered.

Snorting in amusement, she extracted a tube of lipstick from her bag and tested it against her hand for colour. It blended almost invisibly against her skin. She nodded in satisfaction, before applying it carefully to his lips, "All you bring to this contest is your good looks and cute tush, honey." 

Mr Ishida swallowed, feeling oddly cheap. He had worked his entire life to be taken seriously as a reporter. He had won many major awards for journalistic excellence, not only in Japan but overseas. It was an insult to him and his profession to say he had been chosen for his cute tush! He was about to say so to the woman, when she cut him off, reproachfully shaking a bottle of liquid concealer at him: "Now, let's do something about those bags under your eyes. You do know you really need to get more sleep, sweetie." 

*

NEXT TIME: Join us for Round One of the Brainbuster Challenge! (Hosted by "Cute Tush" Ishida!) 

*

****

Important Note:

The author would like to say she has never examined Mr Ishida's tush. Yamato's tush is a completely different matter - she has been known to sing "Go turn around, so I can see what's behind you"instead of the proper words - and she assumes cute tushes are genetic. ^.~ 


	11. Chapter 11 (Taichi and Yamato!)

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Karen: As much as I hate to admit it, I lied to my readers in the last part. 

Mimi: You lied? Shame on you! 

Karen: I know. I know. I said this part was going to be Round One of the Challenge. However, I got so many requests for more Taichi and Yamato mischief in my reviews, and this seemed like such a good place to put them into the piece.

Taichi: How many requests? *.* 

Yamato: And how many of them were from Motomiya Jun? O.o,,, 

Jun: Hiiiiiiiiiii, Yama-chan. You called? 

::Yamato leaps into Karen's arms::

Yamato: You're the author. Give her a deadly plague. Set vampire Tokomon on her. Backspace her. I'm begging you. Onegai shimasu. O.O

Karen: Let me think . . . "Once upon a time, there was a girl called Jun . . ."

Yamato: Hurry up! 

Karen: Hey, exposition is important. Don't rush me. "Once upon a time, there was a girl called Jun. She used to love Yamato, but she fell passionately in love with Hida Iori.."

Mimi: And she got 95 reviews for this story with that quality writing? Sheesh. 

Iori: Ohayo. 

::Jun glomps Iori::

Jun: Iori-chan! Aishiteru! 

Iori: Eep. 

Karen: "And they all lived happily ever after." 

Mimi: 95 reviews?

::Karen smiles sweetly.:: 

Karen: "There once was a girl called Mimi, who fell passionately in love with a Numemon . . ." 

* * *

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EDUCATING MR MOTOMIYA

PART 11

"Where is Dad?" Yamato asked Natsuko, glancing around the audiotorium to see if he could spot his father. In the gloom of the audience seating, it was hard to see more than a few metres in any direction. He thought he could make out his friends, though. They were all sitting together in a row a little way to his left. Koushirou had his arm around the back of Sora's chair, and her hand rested lightly on his thigh. Yamato sighed. It was amazing how fate threw you curveballs at times. He had never thought of Koushirou as a rival for Sora's heart, until the two had become a couple. Beside them, Jyou looked haggard, as if he had been through some great ordeal recently. He sweatdropped when he saw Miyako. Her T-Shirt had a picture of Ken on it, beneath which was written "All Mine!!!" in large, scarlet letters. Iori was slowly inching away from her and from the "GO TAMACHI!" banner she was holding out to him. Of his father, however, there was no sign. 

"I think he went to say good luck to Takeru, dear," Natsuko replied, digging in her handbag and extracting a pen and notepad. She handed them to Yamato to hold, before removing her dictophone from her pocket, "He'll probably be back any moment." 

"Hiiiiiii, Yama-chan," a high-pitched voice said from behind him. Yamato froze in horror, his hand squeezing convulsively around his mother's notebook. It couldn't be _her_, could it? He had seen _her_ sitting with her parents, hadn't he? Besides, he could usually hear _her_ squealing his name from kilometres away, but what if _she_ had decided a sneak attack was the only way _she_ would get close to him? He would never be safe again. He would have to check underneath his bed and behind his door every night. Heart somewhere beneath his seat, he turned slowly around to see Taichi grinning wickedly at him. 

"Don't ever do that again," Yamato breathed in relief, "I thought you were . . . _her_."

"That was kind of the point. It took me weeks to perfect my Jun," Taichi said, climbing over the back of the chair and sprawling next to him, "You should have seen your face, though! A Kodak moment, if there ever was one!" 

"Dad's sitting there," Yamato remarked pointedly. 

"How's he going to do that?" Taichi asked, a puzzled expression on his face.

"I don't know," he replied sarcastically, "Lean backwards, stick his legs out in front of him and sit."

"No, you idiot," Taichi punched his arm, "I mean, he's presenting the show tonight. Look on the stage." 

Frowning, Yamato turned from Taichi to look at the stage. An obviously anxious Mr Ishida was walking slowly across the set towards the podium. His forehead glistened with sweat in the sodium lights. In his wake was a chubby woman, menacingly brandishing an enormous powderpuff. Looking like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, he stared out at the audience. He was closely followed by Takeru, Hikari and Daisuke, who all took their places at the left bank of seats and buzzers. Ken and his two teammates filed in to the right. Apart from the Chosen Child, Tamachi's quiz team consisted of a tiny, pale girl with ink-black hair and cat-green eyes and a grinning boy with a mass of red hair and shockingly blue eyes. As the show's signature jingle began, spotlights started to play across the stage, before converging on Mr Ishida. 

"W-welcome to the B-brainbuster Challenge," his father's voice firmed as he seemed to gain confidence, "I am Ishida Masaharu, one of the journalists at TTN and a twice-recipient of the Tokyo award for excellence in the press. Tonight, however, it is my pleasure and privilege to introduce some of the bright, young minds of tomorrow to you. They are the newsmakers of the future. "

"And then there's Daisuke," Yamato whispered behind a cupped hand. Taichi choked down his laughter. 

On cue, the lights swung from his father to Odaiba's bank of seats. 

"From Odaiba, we have Yagami Hikari, Motomiya Daisuke and Ishi . . . uh . . . Takaishi Takeru."

As each of their names were mentioned, they smiled and flashed a bingo sign at the camera. It was the sort of cutesy stunt that the producers had probably told them to do. The costumes had to be their idea as well, he thought with a twinge of embarrassment for his younger brother's sake. They were all wearing the sort of uniforms that were only used for school dramas on TV. Daisuke had somehow managed to cling to his goggles, however. Yamato squinted as the sodium lights flashed blindingly off of them. 

There was no doubt about it - they were going to be teased for weeks when they got back to school. Heck, _he_ was going to get months worth of jibes out of it.

Taichi had obviously had the same thought, as he nudged Yamato in his ribs and whispered, "How many times an hour are you going bring up those clothes to your younger sib? I was thinking five, but it just doesn't seem enough."

"That's why I'm going to convince dad to put a picture of Takeru in that on the Ishida New Year's Card this year," he muttered back to him.

"Boys," Natsuko cautioned in a low voice, tapping Yamato on the hand with her pen, "Hush. They're introducing Tamachi and you're being rude." 

Yamato settled back into his seat, folding his arms across his chest. The spotlights had swung to the right side of the stage, and the other team was blinking into them. They were dressed in identical uniforms to Odaiba's team, but theirs were green and brown instead of blue and grey. If it were possible, he thought with some satisfaction, they were even uglier than Odaiba's. 

"From Tamachi, we have Ichijouji Ken, Hayashi Sakaraka and Yamada Keisuke." 

When Ken's name was announced, most of the girls in the audience let out a piercing scream. Somehow, however, Miyako's voice managed to rise above them all: "HE'S ALL MINE!!!" On the stage, the boy genius flashed a slightly sickly smile HEin her direction and nervously adjusted his tie. Yamato and Taichi exchanged glances, then burst out in helpless laughter. So far, this game-show was proving funnier than any comedy.

"As you've met our contestants, it's time to explain how the game works," Mr Ishida continued when the cheers had died down around him, "The Brainbuster Challenge is divided into three parts. In the first, the teams take turns to answer random questions and get 10 points for each right answer. The second consists of the teams answering six questions from six different categories. The first team to get right answers in all six categories wins the round and 100 points. The last is the flash quiz where teams race to be the first to answer a question correctly. Questions in this section are worth 20 points each. Now that we're all clear on the rules, let's play the BRAINBUSTER CHALLENGE!" 

* * *

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Next time: I swear on the Sacred Harmonica of Ishida Yamato that the quiz will begin! May I be forced to listen to Taichi and Jyou sing if I do not! ^.^ 

* * *

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	12. Chapter 12 (Digimon-eye view!)

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Karen: I'm uninspired today. I don't know if I can write a skit for the beginning of this chapter. 

Yamato (with guitar): "Looking out into the morning rain, I used to feel so uninspired!"

Sora: Isn't that the opening line of "Natural Woman"? Are you not telling me something Yamato? And will I have to go on Jerry Springer to find out about it? O.o 

Taichi: Naah. He's all man. I've seen it myself.

Sora: Way to make me feel better, Taichi! O.o;;;;

Koushirou: I think they're referring to the Forbidden Clip. Or, as our author like to call it, Evil Shows Its . . . Butt!

Taichi and Yamato: Is she saying our butts are evil? -.-# 

Mimi: Time for an impartial judge! Drop those trousers!

::Taichi and Yamato sweatdrop::

Karen: Mimi! Stop! You can't! I've only rated this at G! That means no nudity. Besides, if Taichi and Yamato were to get naked, people might mistake this story for yaoi_. You'll have to go to a Mimato or a Michi, if you want to do your research._

Mimi: Pooh. I only support Takemimi. 

Takeru: Tell me that Take doesn't stand for what I think it does. . . . O.o 

Karen: I'm afraid it does. Takeru x Mimi.

::Mimi winks and smiles at Takeru::

::Takeru tries to hide behind Yamato, who tries to hide his laughter::

Mimi: What can I say? I have a thing for . . . hats. 

Numemon: If I wore a hat, would you go out with me?

Mimi: UPPERCUT!

::Numemon goes flying off into the stratosphere::

Karen: Great. Nudity and violence. I better get onto the story before I lose my G-Rating. Don't think it's my best chapter ever, but am tired of tinkering with it.

* * *

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Educating Mr Motomiya

Part 12

"Out of the way! Patamon'n'Gomamon Popcorn Express coming through!" 

Clutching a packet of microwave popcorn in his stubby, front feet, Patamon flapped into the Takaishi's darkened living-room. He was followed by Gomamon, bouncing another bag on his nose like a trained seal at a circus. The other Digimon were sitting around the television, faces illuminated slightly by the glow coming from the set. 

Just as their human partners had gone to the studio to support their siblings, friends or, in Miyako's case, her obsession of stalker-like proportions, they had decided to meet at Takeru's house to watch the show. They had been planning to go to the recording themselves, until Mr Ishida had explained that studio security would never let them past the parking lot. They had been disappointed, of course, but had decided to make the best of a bad deal. 

Besides, as Hawkmon had philosophically said, it meant they could eat and watch the show at the same time. Humans always ate in front of the television, he had added with the air of a sage imparting great knowledge to his disciples. That was the reasoning behind the popcorn being brought into the living room by the Patamon'n'Gomamon Popcorn Express at the moment.

Grunting, Patamon dropped his bag onto the floor, just as Gomamon headed his to land neatly on the sofa. 

"Here you go," Gomamon cheerfully said, jumping onto the sofa to sit next to both Tentomon and, more importantly, the food. A neat swipe of his claws opened the microwave packet, and the smell of freshly-popped popcorn filled the room. He scooped a flipperful into his mouth and began to chew blissfully. It was buttery and hot, just as he had learnt all good popcorn should be, "'s 'ood." 

Ripping open his own bag with his mouth, Patamon plopped next to Tailmon on one of the pillows that they had dragged through from Takeru's room. Veemon made an indignant sound. Gomamon hid his amusement in another mouthful of popcorn. It was funny how the Digimon's relationships often echoed those of their partners. Unlike Takeru with Hikari, however, Patamon was too innocent and childish to see Tailmon as anything but a friend and playmate. He wasn't even aware that Veemon thought of him as a rival for her. Angemon and Angewomon were a different story, but everyone knew you became a different Digimon when you Digivolved. 

"So, what did we miss?" the little, orange Digimon asked. 

"Not terribly much," Gabumon replied, "Both of Ken's team-mates answered their questions correctly, as did Hikari. It's Takeru's turn now." 

Still snickering quietly to himself, Gomamon turned his attention back to the television in front of them. On the screen, Mr Ishida was reading out a question from the wodge of notecards that he held in his hands: "Our next one is for my . . . um, Takeru from Odaiba.What do ferns, mosses and mushrooms produce instead of seeds?" 

Takeru cleared her throat, leaning forward into the microphone, "Spores. They produce spores." 

"10 points for Odaiba," Mr Ishida replied with a not-at-all-impartial grin, as the audience either cheered wildly or clapped politely depending on where their preference lay. Patamon and Tailmon grinned at each other, slapping paw against bat-wing. His face an odd, mottled purple, Veemon looked like he was about to explode.

"My Ken-chan would have gotten that one," Wormmon grumbled. The little Digimon was wearing a red headband with "GO KEN-CHAN!" printed across it in black lettering.

"Especially since he's got personal experience of spores with having had them in him and all," Armadimon added helpfully. When Wormmon glared at him, he grinned nervously and started to edge away from him. Gomamon couldn't blame him. There was something incredibly . . . wrong about Ken's Digimon. All of the Digimon were very close to their partners, but Wormmon took it to a whole, different level. He scared everybody at times. Gomamon had the strong feeling that there were some lines between human and Digimon that just weren't meant to be crossed. * 

"Ken'll get a chance to show his skills now," Agumon said diplomatically, "The next question is for him." 

Wormmon settled back into position, a displeased expression on his face. On the screen, the spotlights had shifted to rest on Ken Ichijouji. His face was completely expressionless, and his fingers were steepled in front of him. He did not seem phased by the fact that he was on national television at all. Of course, Gomamon reminded himself, he must have grown used to being in the spotlight by now. He had even had a documentary made about him. He remembered Miyako forcing all their partners all to tape it just in case she missed it or her VCR malfunctioned.

"Our next one is for Ken . . ." Mr Ishida paused to allow the screams to fade, ". . . From Tamachi. What did Robert Ballard help discover in 1985, which prompted him to say: 'May she now rest in peace'?" 

"The _Titanic_," Ken replied confidently. 

"Absolutely correct. And that's 10 for Tamachi!" Mr Ishida said to the cheers and shrieks of the female half of the audience. Wormmon contented himself with smiling smugly at the other Digimon - as far as mandibles could be said to smile smugly. Gomamon shuddered. 

"Did you know that Leonardo di Caprio is America's biggest export?" Veemon asked, "Daisuke taught me that the other day!" 

"And he wonders why we're scared that the next question is going to Motomiya Daisuke," Tailmon muttered in a low voice. Beside her, Patamon giggled. 

"You'll see! Daisuke'll prove you wrong!" Veemon said bitterly, "He's a lot smarter than you think!" 

As Gomamon turned back to the screen, he saw that even Mr Ishida looked nervous. He adjusted his tie and collar, before reading the question very slowly off of his card, "For Daisuke of Odaiba, what's the study of the interaction between the air and the solid bodies moving through it?" 

"Uhhh . . . ." Daisuke rubbed the back of his head, as if to jumpstart his brain. Beneath the harsh spotlights, sweat glistened on his forehead. Gomamon sighed. He had been there when Jyou had tried to tutor him. If his partner, who was the smartest person that Gomamon knew, couldn't help him, the only thing that would was a brain-transplant. And, as far as he knew, Daisuke hadn't had one of those since their session together. 

At last, however, the boy straightened up and grinned at Takeru's father. New hope surged within Gomamon. Maybe Veemon had been right. Maybe they hadn't given Daisuke enough credit for his smarts. Maybe he would surprise them all . . . .

"Paper-aeroplane-ology," the boy said cheerfully. 

And everyone groaned. 

* * *

NOTES:

__

* Hentai na Wormmon wa totemo kowai da! That is, he scares the heck out of me. It's not only the Rosa episode either. If you listen to one of the Christmas songs by the Jogress Shinkers, you have the Digimon discussing what they want for Christmas. Patamon wants faster wings, Tailmon wants THAT whistle, Hawkmon and V-mon want food, Armadimon wants a better-looking body, but Wormmon wants . . . wait for it . . . Ken-chan! You can just hear the other Digimon back away at that point! And my apologies to cross-breeding fans, but it's just . . . _ecchi! _

* * *

NEXT TIME: Round two of the Brainbuster Challenge. Will Daisuke be brainy or will he be busted? ^.^

* * *

Please review for your own sake, because good deeds are good for your soul and your health! ^.^ 

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	13. Chapter 13 (Poor Daisuke!)

_Karen: Because of the chaos that has been the last few disclaimers, I decided to allow only polite, quiet and respectful characters to do them from now on. _

_Jyou: Finally, our personalities are appreciated. They called us boring, but we knew we'd show them one day. _

_Koushirou + Iori: About time too. _

_Karen: So . . . ummm . . . what do you three think about Daikari vs Takari?_

_Jyou: I am fully in favour of Takari, if only because it'll make Mimi realise she doesn't have a chance with Takeru and my little, pink cowgirl will come running into my arms for consolation._

_Karen: Sweet lord. The name Michael mean anything to you?_

_::Jyou turns to stone and moss grows up him:: _

_Karen: Well, he's still quiet and he's decorative, so I guess that's fine. What about you, Koushirou?_

_Koushirou: Let me explain this in terms of a scientific formula. I find it works better than more emotional, subjective means. Hikari + Takeru - Daisuke = Good. _

_Karen: Uh, that wasn't very scientific. That was downright sad, actually. Iori, what's your take on whom Hikari should be with? _

_Iori: Daisuke! She loves him! She adores him! She can't sleep for thinking about him! She is going to become Mrs Motomiya one day! _

_::Karen and Koushirou peer suspiciously at Iori::_

_Koushirou: There is something familiar about that Iori . . ._

_Karen: I don't remember Iori ever wearing goggles . . . _

_Koushirou: That's because it's DAISUKE! _

_Daisukei: Heh heh heh._

_Karen: You'd better go read the story now, because there isn't anything polite, respectful or quiet about what I'm about to do to him. . . ._

_****_

**Educating Mr Motomiya**

**Part 13**

As Mr Ishida read the scores off his monitor, Daisuke slumped down in his seat, and wondered if it would be too obvious if he just slipped beneath the bank of buzzers and crawled out of the studio. He didn't even want to look at Hikari and Takeru. The top students in his class, they had yet to get a question wrong between them. All the members of Tamachi's team had done equally well - with the result that Odaiba were now fifty points behind them. He sunk his head in his hands. It'd be a major miracle if Hikari ever spoke to him again. He knew how much winning the Brainbuster Challenge had meant to her, and they didn't have much of a chance of that now.

"Don't worry about it, Daisuke," he heard a cheerful voice say from beside him, "We'll make it up on this round." 

He peered through a lattice of fingers to see Takeru smiling at him. The younger boy even managed to look sincere doing it, which he had to admit he might have been. Daisuke might not have liked him very much, but Takeru was one of the nicest people he knew. Sitting on his other side, Hikari did not look so happy or so forgiving. Her arms were stretched out in front of her and she was drumming an irritated beat with her fingertips on the table. _I really screwed things up for her. There was only one way to make things right with her, as difficult as it would be for him. _

"You two take the questions in the next round," he said slowly, "It's the only way we'll do it." 

"Are you sure, Daisuke?" Takeru asked him, "I mean, we are a team." 

"Yeah, I'm sure." 

"He's sure, Takeru," Hikari added impatiently, "I'll handle the sciences. You take the rest. We still can win this thing." 

Daisuke felt a dull pain in his chest. Hikari had been awfully quick to accept his suggestion, and she didn't even seem to care how hard it had been for him to make it. He knew he wasn't good at being humble, or at admitting his weaknesses. After all, he was in this mess because he liked to believe he could do anything and do it well. That, and he was in love with the girl seated two seats away from him. Other people might have called it a crush or an infatuation, but he knew it was the real deal. He could feel it in his gut. 

Sighing, he looked past Takeru to where Hikari was sitting. She had a determined expression on her face, her jaw firmly set and her eyebrows drawn together. For the first time, he realised exactly how much like Taichi she was. He had seen that same expression on his team-mate's face a hundred times before a big match. _She wants to win almost as much as he would. He had always thought the two siblings could not have been more different, but the truth was that both of them were strong-willed, competitive people who knew what they wanted and went for it with a single-minded determination. (1) He could more than identify with that himself. __Maybe that's why we don't work. Because opposites attract, don't they? _

Frowning, he shifted his attention to Takeru. The blond boy was looking at Hikari with a troubled expression on his face, as if he did not agree with what they were doing. He couldn't understand it. If he had been in Takeru's shoes and given a chance to shine in front of the girl he loved, he knew he would have taken it in a second without any doubts and without a thought for his rival. 

"Well?" she prompted, "You obviously want to say something, so say it." __

Takeru opened his mouth to reply, but a sudden burst of music from the speakers drowned whatever he had been going to say. When it faded, the lights came up to show Mr Ishida standing beside two, enormous brains, wearing academic caps. One was painted blue, the other green, and each of them was divided into six parts. There was a light-bulb in the middle of each section. Takeru's father had the good sense to look embarrassed, as he rested his hand on the one closest to him.

"We now move onto the second round of the Brainbuster Challenge. As I explained earlier, this consists of each teams answering six questions from six different categories. Namely, history, geography, literature, maths, science and foreign languages. The first team to get right answers in all six categories wins the round and 100 points," he patted the brain beside him, "As they get a question in a category right, the bulb in the corresponding section will light up. If everyone is quite clear, let's begin!" he tapped his stack of cards against his thigh, before glancing at the one on top, "As Tamachi is ahead, Odaiba will go first. So, for Odaiba, what are the two particles at the nucleus of an atom?" 

Hikari rapped the buzzer, then leant forward to speak into the microphone, "Protons and neutrons." 

"Correct," one of the blue brain's lightbulbs blinked on, as he spoke, "For Tamachi, what is the S.I. unit for current?" 

The small, pale girl answered for her team, tossing back her dark plaits, "Ampere."

"Correct."

The corresponding bulb on the green brain lit up in response.

"For Odaiba, which character in Shakespeare's _As You Like It delivers the speech about the Seven Age of Man?" _

Looking slightly nervous, Takeru chewed his bottom lip. Daisuke watched him, caught between two, completely different emotions. On the one hand, it would be sweet to see the team's golden boy make a mistake for once in his life. On the other, he wanted to lose the competition as much as Hikari did - to be exact, not at all. Suddenly, the other boy smiled and hit the buzzer, before saying in a confident voice, "Jakes." 

As a second light bulb began to shine on the blue brain, Mr Ishida beamed at his son, "You're right. The next question goes to Tamachi: which British poet laureate recently died in 1998?" 

Ken barely paused before tapping his own buzzer, "Ted Hughes." 

Mr Ishida nodded, while another segment of the green brain lit up to add its own confirmation that the answer was correct. He cleared his throat and neatly squared off his cards before proceeding to the next question, "Odaiba, what is the square root of sixty-four?" 

"Eight," Hikari replied quickly, "Eight is the square root of sixty-four." 

"Absolutely correct," Mr Ishida turned his gaze to the other team, as another light came on next to him, "Now, Tamachi, can you tell me the first prime number?"

The permanent grin on the face of the red-haired boy broadened, as he pressed down hard on his buzzer, "That's easy. One." 

As the words came out of his team-mate's mouth, Ken seemed visibly disturbed. His eyes narrowed and his mouth opened as if to correct him, but he shut it and shook his head. Daisuke gave his best friend a puzzled look. Sure, the only primes he knew about were ribs and steaks, but he did know that the kids at Ken's school were genii and that the three sitting opposite him were the best of the best. It was impossible one of them could have made a mistake. 

A barely-disguised smile on his own face, Mr Ishida shook his head, "I'm afraid not. A prime is defined as any number that is divisible by itself and one. Two is the first number that fits those criteria." (2)

A shocked mumur passed around the audience, and Daisuke sat up straighter in his seat, his hands gripping the bank in front of them. It might have been impossible, but it had happened. Beside him, he saw Takeru and Hikari look at each other and nod. Just like him, they knew they had been given a lucky break and were determined to take it. If they answered the following, three questions correctly, they would be in the lead as they went into the final round. 

The next, few minutes passed in a blur of noise and light for Daisuke. His entire attention was focussed on the blue brain in front of them, as one after another bulb came alight on it. On the edge of his consciousness, he was vague aware of the electronic blare of the buzzers and of his team-mates shouting out the answers. _Buzz. "China". __Buzz. "Coffee with milk". __Buzz. "Gulf of Mexico." (3) _

Stunned, he suddenly realised that all the light-bulbs on the blue brain were shining and that Odaiba had won the second round. Shock turned to excitement in an instant. _They're ahead! We're ahead! __We have a chance! I might have a chance! Yes! Yes! YES! Grinning, he turned to congratulate Takeru and Hikari, and the words dried up in his mouth. She was grinning happily at the other boy, her hands clasped in front of her, and the look in her eyes was unmistakable. Daisuke himself might have been a chair or a table for all the notice she paid to him. _

And, amongst the sweetness of knowing they were in the lead, was the bitterness of knowing he had lost her for good. . . . 

****

_Join us for the final round (and the penultimate chapter) next time! _

****

NOTIES:

(1) People might doubt this, but, interestingly, the character trait which Toei's official profile highlights is Hikari's iron will and determination. 

(2) Absolutely true. As to how Keisuke got that one wrong, here's some anecdotal evidence: I have one-and-a-half years of University maths under my belt, got A's for all of those courses, and that still stumped me when I was watching a game-show the other night. ^.^ 

(3) For those who are keeping tabs, the questions were: "What country had the greatest, historical influence on Japanese language and culture?" "What is _cafe au lait?" and "Into what gulf does the Mississippi flow?" _


	14. Chapter 14 Many a slip

_Karen: Daisuke, why do you like your goggles so much?_

_Daisuke: They're almost like my Crest of Courage. _

_Taichi: That's right! Goggles give you courage!_

_Yamato: Yeah, by cutting off the bloodflow to your brain. _

_:: Taichi pulls out cell-phone::_

_Taichi: Don't make me use this!_

_Yamato: Gee. The threat of weak radiation. I'm scared._

_::Taichi punches in a random number and grins at Yamato::_

_Taichi: Hi, is this Motomiya Jun? I'm 'phoning on behalf of my best friend. He wants to let you know that he loves you._

_::Yamato looks horrified::_

_Yamato: And your new, best friend is . . . Takeru! _

_Takeru: Hey! Thanks a lot! -.-#_

_Hikari: Yeah! Thanks a lot! He's my 'best friend'. -.-#_

_::Taichi drops the phone and stares at her::_

_Taichi: Were those inverted commas I heard, Hikari? _

_Hikari: Heh . . . eh . . . I meant to say, we all belong to Toei, and the author doesn't make any money from this fanfiction. _

_::Takeru grabs a microphone:: _

_Takeru: "Kimi no kokoro no fookasu boku ni atte iru kana . . ."_

_::Everyone stares at him, except Hikari who blushes:: _

_Yamato: When did you start singing, Takeru? O.o  _

_Taichi: When did you start singing to my little sister? -.-# _

_Karen: Beats me. I didn't schedule musical numbers for this chapter. _

_Daisuke: Everyone knows my image song is better . . . "Goggeru wa shiteru ze!" ^.^ _

_::Everyone sweatdrops:: _

_Karen: Some people call him extreme, but that's a compliment, isn't it?_

_::Yamato smirks a la Kazama Yuuto:: _

_Yamato: Everyone knows who the real singer is . . ._

_Mimi: Yeah, me! AiM, remember? ^.^ _

_Yamato: Oh, go kiss a Numemon! _

***

EDUCATING MR MOTOMIYA

PART 14

"On what continent is Brazil?" 

The question had barely left Mr Ishida's lips before the small, pale girl from Tamachi shot her hand to hit the buzzer in front of her, "South America." 

"Correct," Mr Ishida gave her a slightly sick smile, "It is indeed on South America. We've now come down to the last question of the last round and the scores couldn't be closer . . . . A scarce 10 points divides our two teams. Whoever answers this last one correctly wins the contest! Ladies and gentlemen, we have what is termed a nailbiter!" 

Takeru licked his dry lips as he looked at the glowing scoreboard in front of them. As his father had said, they were at the last question of the last round and Tamachi had 290 points to their own 280. After he and Hikari had won them a lead in the second round, the other school had staged something of a comeback, answering the majority of the questions and not getting any of them wrong. Regardless, they could still win this contest, if they got to the buzzer first and responded absolutely perfectly.

He took a deep breath, as his father tapped his cards against his podium and cleared his throat in readiness to read from the top one, "For the game, then, Prince Genji in _Genji Monogatari had another appellation. What was it?" _

Takeru shot out his hand to hit his button, but in the split second before he reached it a harsh buzz sounded from next to him. _What on earth is Hikari doing? It was her idea I took all the non-science ones.  He looked at her, and his eyes widened when he saw that the light in front of her was dark. __It wasn't her, but that means . . . . Hikari herself shook her head, an irritated expression on her pretty face, and pointed to Daisuke. _

Slowly, Takeru turned his head to see the older boy staring at his father with an expression of fixed horror on his face. Beneath the bright lights of the studio, drops of sweat were clearly visible on his forehead. They trickled down from beneath his goggles, tracing silvery lines down his cheeks. Evidently realising his two friends were watching at him, he looked in their direction and mouthed: "My hand slipped. It was an accident. What am I going to do?" 

Takeru ran a hand through his hair, considering his options and wincing at the sticky gel in it. Yamato would have a fit when he discovered what the station had used on him. He had always told his younger brother that you could tell what kind of person someone was by the gel that they used. According to him, cheap gel was only used by a) pimps, b) boy bands and c) Yagami Taichi. Takeru was waiting until he could run faster than Yamato to tell him that he himself fitted into category b. 

On the one hand, he desperately wanted to win the Brainbuster Challenge. His entire family had come to support him. His brother had cancelled a sell-out concert; his mother had come back early from a conference; his father . . . his father had decided to host it for some weird reason. He couldn't let them all down, any more than he could let down Hikari. He knew she wanted to win this, for no better reason than she was a Yagami and it seemed to be a genetic trait, along with abnormally high voices. On the other, he was only human, and it would be no more than Daisuke deserved for volunteering for the team just to impress Hikari. . . . _So what, Takeru? You're jealous, so you're going to screw up your team's chances? You got through her date with Daisuke, and you can get through this. He sighed. It wasn't like he had ever had a choice, anyway. He would give the other boy the answer, and let him take the glory. __Story of my life. (1) _

However, before Takeru could mouth the answer back to him, Mr Ishida said: "Daisuke from Odaiba, I'm going to have to press you for an answer." 

Takeru sank back into his chair and folded his arms in his lap. It was too late for him to be of help, to give him the answer, to rescue him at the last moment. It all came down to Daisuke now. Whether they won or lost the Brainbuster Challenge came down to his knowledge of Heian Era literature, and Takeru doubted that he had read much more than volumes of _Dragonball Z and __Neon Genesis Evangelion in his lifetime. For the first time in his life, he wasn't very hopeful of them walking away with the trophy, although there was a slender chance that Daisuke might have remembered this one fact for the worst possible reason. . . . _

He heard Daisuke take a deep breath before looking up at Mr Ishida: "I think the answer is Hikaru. Genji Hikaru." (2)

His expression not changing for a moment, Mr Ishida glanced at the card in his hands, then back at the three children sitting to his left, "Odaiba, your answer is . . . correct! Congratulations! You are the winners of this year's Brainbuster Challenge!" 

Odaiba's section of the crowd erupted, drowning out even Miyako's loud protests about her Ken-chan being robbed. People jumped to their feet and clapped their hands. Banners, fans and scarves were waved. Programs were thrown into the air to land on heads. Taichi and Yamato's (teenage) wolf-whistles rose above the rest of the noise. As Takeru exchanged shocked looks with Hikari, Daisuke stared at his hands and whispered, "I did it? I got it right? We won?" 

*** 

To be concluded . . . 

***

1) Taichi and Hikari both have female seiyuu and scarily high voices. ^.^ 

2) Genji the Shining One. Trust Daisuke to remember a name that sounds like Hikari, for those who didn't get what Takeru was muttering about 'worst possible reasons'. 


	15. Chapter 15 THE END!

_Karen: For the final disclaimer, I managed to secure special guests. May I introduce to you . . . the gang from Digimon Frontier! _

_Gang from Digimon Frontier: Hey._

_Karen: So, what do you think of the gang from Digimon Adventure 02?_

_Takuya: The what from the where? _

_Kouji: Hmmp. I despise all strangers. _

_Tomoki: None of them are as cool as Takuya onii-chan. He's my hero. *.*_

_Junpei: Hikari is cuter than Izumi. *.*_

_Izumi: Hey! Everyone is meant to have a crush on me, because I'm so cute and adorable. _

_Karen (aside): And the only girl in the series, unless you're a yaoi fan . . . . _

_Takuya: Speak for yourself . . . ._

_Izumi: Shut up. Everyone knows our bickering covers up our real feelings for each other. We'll get married and I'll wear a pretty, white dress . . ._

_Junpei: Hey, that was my fantasy! _

_Takuya: You wanted to wear a pretty, white dress?_

_Junpei: Shut up, Takuya! _

_Karen: Actually . . . the goggle boy never gets the girl. _

_::Junpei looks happy:: _

_Junpei: Tell me more . . . . _

_Taichi: I didn't get Sora. She rejected me by giving a box of cookies to Yamato._

_Junpei: Rejection through the medium of food? Harsh.  _

_Daisuke: And I didn't get Hikari, even though everyone knew her flirting with Takeru the entire time really covered up her feelings for me. _

_Junpei: So her flirting with Kouji is really a cover-up for her feelings for me. Good to know! _

_Izumi: Mama mia. _

_Sora:  Yama mia._

_Hikari: Tama mia. _

_Takeru: Tama mia? _

_Hikari: Heh heh . . . Wrong show. ^.^;;;  _

_Takeru: $#$%^$@ing %&#@$. -.-# _

_Hikari: $#$%^$@ ing %&#@$? O.o _

_Takeru: Heh heh . . . Wrong show. ^.^;;; _

_Karen: Time to get on with **this show, methinks. **_

_Takeru: About &*%$ing time._

_Takuya: And I thought I could swear! _

_****_

**EDUCATING MR MOTOMIYA**

**PART 15**

"At least I didn't screw it up for you, Hikari-chan," Daisuke said happily, as the three members of Odaiba's team walked down the hallway towards their respective dressing-rooms. Behind them, the studio was a buzz of a noise and confusion. He could hear the excited cheers and chanting of the crowd, and the stage-manager yelling above everything that they needed to get the stage cleared in ten minutes max, because they were shooting another show on it the next morning. 

"You did great, Daisuke," Takeru replied with a smile, but it was not his approval in which Daisuke was interested. He had not entered this competition to impress the other boy, but the girl walking next to him. Hidden by the taller and slightly bulkier Takeru, all that was visible of Hikari were the pigtails sticking out at odd angles on either side of her head and the edges of her green skirt . He couldn't see her face to judge her reaction. He was about to ask her what she had thought of his performance, but a man's deep voice prevented him from saying anything. 

"All of you did great. I'm proud of all of you."

Daisuke turned to see Mr Ishida standing behind them, his jacket slung over his shoulder and an undisguised grin on his face. Takeru ran up to hug his father, and he took the opportunity to sneak a look at Hikari. She had a smile on her face, making her look even cuter than usual, but he wasn't sure if it was directed at him or at the father-son reunion.

"This'll cause a scandal if it's on the front page of tomorrow's newspapers," Mr Ishida laughed, as he wrapped his own arms around his son, "But who cares? I had to be the impartial host all night, so I guess they'll just have to put up with me being a proud dad now." 

"Thanks, dad. I'm glad you all were there," Takeru whispered, as Mr Ishida gave him a final squeeze and ruffled his hair. At least, he tried to ruffle his hair, because it had set into little spikes as hard and immovable as steel. Daisuke lifted a tentative hand to his own hair and winced. He suspected his goggles were now permanently bonded to his head. 

"Cheap gel," the man commented. 

Although his eyes were suspiciously bright, Takeru managed a grin, "Don't tell Yamato. He'll have a fit." 

"I promise," he winked, "Anyway, I have to find your mom and brother. We're all going out to dinner to celebrate tonight. Sounds okay, kid?" 

"Sounds great." 

As his father went back into the fray that was the studio, Takeru slowly turned and rejoined his friends. His eyes were wet, and he lifted a hand to rub them dry. Daisuke gave him a tight smile, feeling slightly awkward. As much as he hated how close Takeru was with Hikari, he felt sorry for him too. He and Jun fought a lot and he didn't always get on that well with his dad, but he didn't want to imagine what it would be like to live in a different house to them. It was too big and frightening and painful. 

"So, let's get out of these ugly clothes as quickly as possible," Takeru said in a show of cheerfulness. 

"Yes," Hikari added, scratching her shoulder, "I think I'm allergic to this shirt, let alone how it makes me look." 

"Yeah," Takeru laughed, "You look terrible. Even Jyou has better taste than the costume-department here." 

"_I think you look totally cute," Daisuke said, leaping to her defense. Hikari could have been wearing a brown, paper packet and he would have thought she looked cute. There was something about her that shone through whatever clothes she was wearing. _

"Thanks, but Takeru's right," Hikari said with a philosophical shrug, "I feel stupid." 

"After beating us at the Brainbuster Challenge?" a familiar voice said, and Ken appeared around the corner. He had already changed back into his ordinary clothes, although in his case it wasn't much of an improvement. There wasn't much to choose between his normal, grey suit and the blazer and trousers he had worn for the competition. Ken was the only person Daisuke knew who wore his school uniform almost the entire year around. Still, he was his best friend, and that excused a lot. 

"Ken!" he said happily, "We kicked your ass big time! Tamachi went down like the Titanic." 

"Oh, you got lucky this time," Ken shrugged, "But well done to all of you. I was impressed." 

"Please. Luck had zero to do with it," Daisuke replied, "You were up against a brilliant team, especially Hikari-chan." 

 "You were smart too, Daisuke," Hikari said, "You got that last question right, remember?"

A sweet smile on her face, she stepped forward and pecked him on the cheek. He stared at her in amazement, his hand going to cup his cheek as if to keep a hold of her kiss. He felt a warm, almost painful sweetness rise within him. _She loves me. She loves me. She loves me. S__he loves me. The words thudded through his head in time to his racing pulse._

Standing behind her, Takeru looked as if he had been shot straight through the heart. 

"And you were very smart too, Takeru," Hikari turned to him and her smile faded slightly. A strange look came into her eyes, a look that made Daisuke doubt the love about which he had been so sure seconds ago. She leaned forward to brush her lips against his cheek, but he started slightly at the contact and her mouth ended up meeting his. After what seemed like hours to the agonised Daisuke but was only split seconds in reality, they broke apart. Takeru was pink to the tips of his ears; Hikari giggled nervously, her own cheeks flushed. 

"Excuse me. I'd better go and change . . . ." she muttered, hurrying down the hallway to her dressing room. 

"Me too . . . ." he mumbled, following her. 

"How does that guy get all the lucky breaks?" Daisuke sighed, as he slumped against the wall.

Ken laughed and patted him consolingly on the shoulder, "I don't know, Dai. You're the smart one here;  you tell me."

*

OWARI!!  __

*

_Mimi: What a cliched ending . . . ._

_Takeru: I liked it. Ha ha.  _

_Hikari: Me too. Hee hee. _

_Daisuke: At least I got one kiss out of it.  _

_Karen: So, everyone's happy?_

_Takeru: Only if they review._

_Karen: True, true. Review or his hat burns._

_Hikari: You do know that's not going to work. . . ._

_Mimi: The hat is evil._

_Karen: We'll see._


End file.
